


After the Red Sunset

by Leashed Imagination (Leashed_Imagination)



Category: Darker Than Black
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Long Haul Fic ;), M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 60,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24091633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leashed_Imagination/pseuds/Leashed%20Imagination
Summary: Set after the events of Red Giant over Eastern Europe, November 11 is tasked with investigating BK-201 and the organization for which he works. However, November finds himself intrigued by a seemingly harmless Chinese exchange student. Eventual November 11/Hei.
Relationships: Hei/November 11
Comments: 178
Kudos: 212





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Shades of Blue](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/622306) by TimeTravelFreak. 



> Originally inspired by Shades of Blue by TimeTravelFreak - I hope one day it is continued!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings potential readers! You have stumbled across my first DtB fic - pretty much my first fic! 
> 
> Author Confession - Hei/Misaki is my favourite pairing, like OTP favourite pairing. But after reading a now long abandoned November 11/Hei fanfic, I kinda got a little...hooked. So here we are!
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

November 11 grimaced in pain as the knife wielded by BK-201 struck his forearm, crimson blossoming on the white fabric. He could feel the disbelief on his face. BK-201's actions were...illogical. A low voice snapped him out of his momentary shock. ' _Die_ ' rasped the masked figure. November reefed his arm back as he saw the blue glow of Synchrotron radiation envelop the contractor before him. Barely registering the knife ripping from his arm, he prepared to attack. Oh no you don't, he thought, summoning his powers in anger. The whistle of a projectile sounded, fire erupted before him and he brought his arms up to shield his face. When he lowered them, the masked figure was gone.

_Who are you...BK-201..._

The splish splash of footsteps brought him out of his musings. He turned and met a raised blue eyebrow.

"Been a while since I saw you run into trouble," April smirked at him.

"November..."

Both November and April looked down to July. The boy's gaze was fixed to the spreading patch of red on November's sleeve. November crouched down and met July's blank eyes. "Just a flesh wound," he smiled, ruffling the boy's hair as he stood again. He looked to April, "Well, it seems capturing BK-201 will be a greater challenge than I originally expected."

* * *

"That was a joke..." Misaki stated flatly. She looked over November, taking in the bandaged arm. "You should get out of here, I'll be in contact if we need anything else from you." November just nodded, still slightly rattled from the information the police chief had shared with him. So Havoc hadn't regained her powers...then why was BK-201 leading her away from the Gate? Wasn't the entire point to take her there so she would regain her powers? You certainly are a mystery...BK-201, he thought.

November bid farewell to Misaki and walked over to where his red RX-8 was parked. April and July would be at their shared apartment having already taken a cab back. Stepping around to the driver's side door November stopped dead. He stared incredulous. Someone had keyed his car. He clenched his teeth, feeling the urge to slowly freeze the blood of whoever had committed the act. Ruined suit, ruined mission, and now, ruined car. Letting out a held breath, he sighed. He was tired from the evening's events. This could wait. The car came to life with a rumble and the MI6 agent departed, leaving melting ice and unanswered questions behind.

* * *

Hei, or rather Li Shengshun, squeezed the sponge as he lifted it from the soapy bucket. His next assignment was obtaining intel on one of the Syndicate's own investors, suspected of auctioning information off to external parties. The member was known to frequent the car detailing service he was now working for and the Black Reaper was instructed to plant a bug in the infotainment system of the member's car. He did not know why a contractor of his skill had been given such a menial task but he suspected it had something to do with his apparent failure with Havoc recently.

"Oi, you." Hei looked up from his scrubbing as a short, stout man in grease covered overalls called for his attention. "I need you to do the RX-8 when you are done with that one."

"The RX-8..." Hei queried, confused.

"The Mazda you idiot! Don't you know a thing about cars!" The man exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips.

Hei seethed internally. He figured he didn't need to know that much in order to clean them. But he pushed that aside and adopted the apologetic, naive tone of Li, the Chinese exchange student.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course."

He heard the man tsk at him before walking away, muttering to himself.

Hei wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he finished polishing the RX-8.

"My, my haven't you done a good job."

Hei turned and met ice blue eyes. The blonde stood before him in an immaculate white suit looking appreciatively over the vehicle. Hei carefully schooled his features feeling anger swell within him as he stood face to face with the man that murdered Havoc. After you tortured her and lead her to her death, his subconscious whispered.

"Uh, thank-you sir." Hei inclined his head to the older man.

"You know, I would give you a tip if this county were more accepting of it." The blond man remarked, winking at Hei.

"Uh..." Hei stuttered not knowing how to respond to that.

"What's your name?" Piercing blue eyes locked with his and Hei felt uncomfortable under the intense gaze.

"It's Li, Li Shengshun."

"Well Li, hopefully I will be able to employ your efforts in the future." The man turned and headed for the front desk.

Hei placed a hand on the vehicle he had just finished polishing, resisting the urge to fry the entire electronics system of the thing with his powers. It would be a shame if the traction control stopped working and it ended up wrapped around a tree...along with its driver.

The blond man strode towards him once again and Hei heard the click of the vehicle unlocking. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Shengshun." November smiled and waved goodbye over his shoulder as he slid into his vehicle.

Good riddance, Hei thought coldly as he watched the red car exit the garage. And good riddance to you too, Hei thought to the grease covered mechanic as he made his way over to his target. With the bug now planted, 'Li' would be finding other employment.

* * *

Misaki sat awkwardly in the booth feeling out of place in her usual blue suit yet knowing she would be infinitely more uncomfortable had she worn anything else. To her left, April threw her head back finishing the last drop of her drink before slamming the glass down and beckoning to a waiter for another. Misaki stared at the empty glasses on the table, quietly thankful that the Public Security Bureau would be footing the bill. To her right, Jack Simon...or November 11, Misaki thought to herself, lounged comfortably. A small smile tugged at his lips as he rolled a glass in his hand, watching the ice cubes clink together. Ice blue eyes looked sideways at her. "It's awfully kind of you to treat us this evening, Chief Kirihara," November's smile turned playful. Misaki grimaced, "The Public Security Bureau always endeavors to make visiting diplomats or visiting agencies feel welcome," Misaki made sure to put emphasis on 'agencies', giving November a sharp look. "It would seem that recent events delayed this." She picked up her glass and took a gulp. She wasn't here by choice. "Nonetheless, allow me to extend my thanks as the British Foreign Minister." November raised his glass to her in a mocking fashion before taking a sip. Misaki clenched her teeth together, looking around the bar in an attempt to distract herself from the present company. Her eyes suddenly landed on the lithe figure of a waiter serving drinks to a nearby table. Warm light reflected off dark raven locks and Misaki tensed in her seat. The waiter turned to walk back to the bar, midnight blue eyes casting over the room.

"Li?" Misaki exclaimed.

November 11 looked over to the person the Section 4 Chief was so suddenly transfixed on and stared.

"Huh..Misaki? You sure look different to last time I saw you," the man called Li muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"You sure don't," Misaki huffed a laugh. "I would have thought you would be done with waitering for good."

"Well..."

November took the momentary pause to clear his throat, drawing the Police Chief's attention to him.

"Li, this is Jack Simon, the British Foreign Minister. Jack this is -"

"Li Shengshun, yes, we've met." November smirked as his eyes locked with Hei's. Hei felt a chill run down his spine at the intensity of those eyes. For a brief moment Hei feared that the blond was referring to their...earlier meeting but knew he was being paranoid. No, the MI6 agent had no reason to suspect his true identify.

Hei was pulled from his thoughts by a boisterous voice.

"And I'm April," the blue haired woman practically leered at him. "Now, would you be an absolute _doll_ and bring us some more drinks." April laughed at her own little in joke.

"Of course mam." Hei swore he could feel ice blue eyes piercing his back as he walked to the bar.

November stared after the departing waiter, thoughtful.

"How do you know Li?" Misaki demanded once the dark-haired man was out of earshot.

November took another slow sip of his drink. "Well, my dear, it would seem that someone decided to partake in some early morning vandalism after the little fiasco with our red-headed friend." November sighed theatrically. "One would think their possessions safe with the majority of the police department in the area." Misaki scowled at him and November chuckled. "Don't worry, your friend Li ensured my car looked like it had just rolled off the showroom floor."

"Li was working at a garage?" Misaki said.

"Hmmmm," April hummed, rapping her nails against the table and staring off into nowhere. "He can wash my car anytime..."

"That would require you having a car, April." November drawled.

April did not let that deter her. "Prehaps I could borrow yours, Jack...or do you intend keeping Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome all to yourself?" She purred.

"Finders, keepers." November sing-songed causing Misaki to choke on her drink. "Relax, that was a joke. Though, I can't speak for our friend April here."

Misaki spotted Li walking back towards them, balancing a tray of drinks and quickly changed the topic.

"So how long will you be in Japan for?" Misaki asked November as Hei begun placing drinks on their table.

"That really depends on a number of factors," November replied evasively. He turned his attention to the younger man now removing the empty glasses. "So, Li, why aren't you working at the garage anymore?"

"Oh...well I had one of my classes clash with their work hours so I had to leave. Luckily, I found this job pretty quick."

"Are you here studying?" November inquired.

"Yes."

Hei had hoped that his single word response would be enough to get the Brit to stop asking questions. Hei was wrong. An influx of questions suddenly fired his way. Where was he from? How long was he staying? Which University was he attending? Hei was glad that the Syndicate had issued him with a complete backstory and false documents upon his arrival in Japan. While Hei was an expert liar, and actor, he knew that the man before him had access to a multitude of information and could, and possibly would, verify his story.

"What are you studying?"

"Ah, I really just came here to study to improve my Japanese."

 _"Really? Your Japanese is as good as my Chinese. What are you studying?"_ November replied in fluent, unaccented Mandarin.

Hei almost dropped the tray he was holding in shock.

"Astronomy." He replied. He had had to think fast. He was just sure that the nosy Brit would quiz him about his area of study and he couldn't afford to be absolutely unschooled on the subject. At best, the so called Foreign Minister would think him a lazy student. At worst, the other contractor would become suspicious which could prove very, very bad for Hei. No, best pick the one subject, outside espionage, assassination, and martial arts, he had decent knowledge about.

Hei gave the blond man a sheepish smile. "Please excuse me but I had better get back to work. If my manager sees me chatting to customers, I might be looking for another job again."

"Of course. We were about to leave anyway."

"Speak for yourself," November heard April grumble behind him.

November stood and moved into Hei's personal space. "It was nice to meet you again Mr. Shengshun." Hei was about to respond when he felt a large hand brush over his upper thigh and froze. November lent in, and Hei could feel his breath on his ear. Hei felt heat rise on his face. "For your efforts." November whispered. He turned to Misaki who wore a stunned expression. "Thank you for a splendid evening, Chief Kirihara. If April wishes to continue to drink herself into oblivion rest assured that the Ministry will foot the bill."

Straightening his jacket, November cracked one last smile at the lost-for-words waiter and strode out of the bar.

Hei regained his composure and bade good evening to Misaki and April explaining that his shift would finishing soon. As he walked behind the bar he felt something rustle in the front pocket of his trousers. Confused, he felt in his pocket and pulled out a 5,000 Yen note. He stared dumbfounded. He hadn't even noticed the blond putting it in his pocket. Hastily, Hei deposited the note in the till.

He doubted the manager would be unhappy about an additional 5,000 Yen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to PinkHeadphones and the two guests for the Kudos :)
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

November lent back against the cold brick facade of the bar, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Despite his absolute hatred of smoking, even he couldn't deny that nicotine was addictive. Besides, he'd had a few drinks and was feeling good, and he highly doubted that one more cigarette would affect him in the long run considering his rather frequent use of powers recently. Breathing out smoke into the cold night air, he took a moment to chide himself for his prior actions. While he wasn't the only one that considered him to be quite the womanizer, he couldn't help himself from teasing the younger blue eyed man. Something about that deer-in-the-headlights look amused him...no, it wasn't just that. November got the feeling that there was more to the dark haired man than the apparent youthful bashfulness. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, something intangible, and November could attest to the reliability of his instincts, after all he wasn't the best field agent of MI6 for no reason.

Taking another draw of his cigarette, he decided to wait till he finished it to see if April came stumbling out of the bar. He imagined Misaki was bound by that expected Japanese politeness to remain host until her guest was done. And knowing April, that might not be till the early hours of the morning. Tapping the end of the cigarette, he lifted it and took another draw. Astronomy, he thought. The subject may as well be history ever since the real stars disappeared ten years ago. November chuckled to himself, did the kid even remember the real stars? Perhaps he was just chasing a childhood fantasy. He heard the door of the bar open and dropped the cigarette to the ground, crushing it under his foot. He had been expecting April and Misaki, however neither were the one to step out of the bar.

Well speak of the Devil...he thought...and the Devil shall appear. A slim figure stepped out, hands buried in the green jacket he wore. Without glancing in his direction, the Chinese student started walking up the road, away from him. A perfect opportunity had arisen to gain more information and November seized it.

"Li." He called out.

The figure paused and turned around. "Oh, Mr. Simon."

"Please, call me Jack." November gave him a grin, walking up to the dark-haired man. In the poor street lighting, Li's eyes looked so dark, he could barely distinguish where blue became black. They reminded him of the horizon during the depths of the night. "Do you intend on walking home?"

Li nodded at him. "Yes, I don't live too far from here."

November sighed. "While Japan is considered quite a safe country, let me assure you crime still exists here. Allow me to escort you."

Li raised his hands up at November. "Ah, thank-you, but I really don't want to interrupt your evening."

"I insist." The Brit replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Great, Hei thought exasperated, this is the last thing I need. But he just nodded and started making his way up the road.

"So, tell me how you and Chief Kirihara know each other."

Hei kept his face impassive but internally he was screaming. I met her while on a mission from a criminal syndicate to steal a Gate artifact from the crystal garden of a notorious Hong Kong mafia? In the end he settled for explaining that he met her at a party he was waitering for.

The blond raised an eyebrow at him. "Somehow, I got the impression from Kirihara that there is more to that story."

"You may need to ask Chief Kirihara for the rest," Hei said politely to the other man. He was sure that the story must be somewhat confidential and really couldn't be blamed for not divulging the entire truth.

The blond's other eyebrow raised up. "I shall."

Hei saw his apartment block come into view and felt relieved. He would be glad to rid himself of 'Jack Simon's' company. A familiar black cat flicked it's tail back and forth on the driveway.

"Thank-you for walking me home, Mr. Simon," Hei smiled, politely inclining his head.

"Jack," November corrected. Hei nodded and begun walking to the stairs. Again, he felt the ice blue eyes piercing him but resisted the urge to turn around. Unlocking the door to his apartment, he slowly swung it open, peering into the darkness. He felt warm fur graze his leg as he stepped inside. Pulling the door closed behind him, he caught a glimpse of the Brit still watching him from the road.

"Hei!" Snapped the black cat now sitting on the floor. "What do you think you are doing? That's the MI6 Contractor who went after you and Havoc!"

Hei could feel a headache coming on from the night's events. No, it hadn't escaped his attention that he was 'escorted' home by the most capable Conractor the Secret Intelligence Service had to offer.

"I couldn't prevent it. It would have looked suspicious if I was adamant he didn't follow me." Hei growled out.

Mao continued his lecture, "That man is dangerous, Hei! And you have lead him straight here! If Huang finds out you have blown your cover..."

Hei could feel the throbbing at his temples increase as the man-turned-cat continued to rant.

"...well don't come running to me! I will be on the first plane out of here...hey Hei, you don't look so good, is something wrong-"

Hei lashed out and grabbed the black cat by the scruff of it's neck. He raised it before him.

"When are we meeting next?" He asked monotone but Mao could see blood-lust in the dark eyes.

"Three days time, usual place, 10am," Mao squeaked out. Hei nodded slowly, then opened the door and threw the cat over the stairs. He figured Mao surely had enough of the cat's instincts left to land on his feet and if not he didn't spare it a second thought.

November heard a cat shriek in the distance as he walked back down the road. He wasn't surprised, this country seemed to have its fair share of cats...though nothing like Greece, he thought to himself. Wandering back to the bar, he poked his head in and laughed. Misaki was passed out, forehead on the table, her glasses pushed up and tangled in her hair. April was interrogating a young waiter who had had the misfortune to engage in conversation with her. November shook his head and retreated from the bar. Walking to the corner of the street, he pulled out his phone and called a taxi. He would leave questioning the Police Chief about her Chinese acquaintance until tomorrow. Patience was a virtue after all.

* * *

November 11 shrugged out of his jacket as he entered the penthouse suite situated in the heart of Tokyo. High glass windows surrounding the living area created a panorama of the city, little specks of light moved beneath him as cars darted about in the streets below. The apartment was dark, only lit by the light that seeped in from the city that didn't sleep. A small smudge caught his eye low on one of the glass windows. He walked over to the window, crouching down to inspect it. A small hand-print marked the glass before him. November placed his hand over it. Had he been watched this evening?

Standing, he moved silently to July's room. He cracked the door open and peered in. The Doll was in bed, fast asleep from what he could see. He closed the door, moving along the corridor to his own room. While Contractors were beings governed by a rational mind, Dolls were unable to even make the smallest of decisions by themselves. Still, there were times when November wondered about the accuracy of that statement. He had certainly been shocked when BK-201 had made his choice, one that certainly was not a rational decision. He himself had not ordered July to send out a spectre but perhaps April had. Nonetheless, he was not concerned. Yawning, he halfheartedly hoped the blue-haired woman wouldn't make too much noise when she stumbled in at whatever ungodly hour. While he was certain July could sleep through a bomb going off, he himself was a light sleeper from necessity. Setting an alarm, he tried to get some sleep. He had a Police Chief to interrogate tomorrow.

* * *

For the first time since becoming the Chief of Foreign Affairs Section 4, Misaki had seriously considered calling in sick. She could not believe how much the female MI6 agent could drink. Her head felt like it was in was in a bone crushing vice, causing her to be rather irritable towards her subordinates. A hesitant knock sounded at her door and Saitou popped his head in.

"Chief, the British Minister has requested to see you." Saitou practically gulped at the expression on his boss's face.

Misaki groaned internally. "Send him in."

Misaki looked up as the 'Foreign Minister' entered, impeccably dressed as always. Blue eyes danced with amusement as he closed the door behind him. "Big night?" he asked, teasingly.

"Shut up." Misaki snapped.

"Come now, I was just concerned for a fellow colleague."

Misaki eyed him warily, her thoughts catching on his choice of words.

November 11 nodded to himself. "That's right. My team has been instructed to investigate BK-201 and the organisation for which he works." Misaki's mouth fell open slightly. "So to answer your question from last night, it appears we will be staying in Japan for the foreseeable future."

Misaki, thoughts clouded due to the inevitable alcohol poisoning, could only manage to muster a single syllable response.

"What?"

"I have put in an official request for all information Section 4 has on BK-201 and his affiliates but I don't need to tell you that this is just a gesture of goodwill and respect towards your department."

Misaki was beginning to regret not taking the day off.

"Fine," she bit out.

"Excellent. That brings me to my next topic of conversation. I find myself curious as to how you know Mr. Shengshun. Why is a Police Chief on first name terms with an exchange student?"

Misaki really, really regretted not taking the day off.

"He was working as a waiter at a birthday party for a friend of mine."

"Ah, I got the impression that job didn't go well."

Misaki stared November directly in the eye.

"It didn't." She said rather coldly, to her own surprise. Apparently, it surprised the man before her too.

"Look," she said, resigned. "You will be able to find out as much as you want when you receive our files on BK-201. His star was active during the event, though we don't have any proof that he was involved in what happened."

November knew when a conversation was over. He stood to leave. "I hope you get better soon." He smirked at Misaki. He swore he could feel his blood freeze as Kirihara glared daggers into his back.

* * *

"We have orders for our next mission," Huang grumbled without looking up from his newspaper. "A PANDORA researcher has smuggled out an item of interest from the Gate. He has managed set up a small covert research team in the old industrial estate."

"What is the item?" Mao inquired, curious.

"The Syndicate calls it the Fountain of Youth, but whatever it is, it looks like an old water pitcher. I imagine they won't have too many lying around their lab. Hei, you are to break into the lab and retrieve the item. Yin, you are to provide surveillance, I imagine that shouldn't be too hard for you considering what the item is. Mao, you are to provide external surveillance. I will provide comms and covering fire if need be." He gave Hei a pointed look. "Are we all clear?"

The three nodded.

"Good, we meet at 2am tomorrow morning on the outskirts of the industrial estate. Don't be late." Huang folded up his newspaper and left without a glace back. Yin continued to stare blankly into a shop across the road.

"Hei, have you come across that MI6 agent again?" Mao asked seriously.

"No." Hei answered.

"Good." Mao sounded relieved.

Hei looked to Yin, following her unfocused stare. He vaguely wondered what could be so interesting about a shop window, or what would be if Yin could actually see.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have just discovered that if you save your chapter as a draft, when you publish it, it publishes as the date it was created not the date it was posted! How confusing! So I'm re-posting this chapter as that irked me...a lot. 
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Yuto Nakamura carefully placed the water pitcher on the work bench before sinking into a chair, face buried in his hands. It had all been for nothing, absolutely nothing. Taking a deep breath he looked around the room. Dried, withered petals littered the surface of the bench before him. He reached out to stroke the stem of a plant, only for it to crumble as the tip of his finger touched it. He watched as another plant begun to dry and crack, feeling hopelessness overcome him. When Pandora opened the box gifted to her by the Gods, she became scared by what was released. Fearful, Pandora closed the box as fast as she could only to seal the last gift, Hope, inside.

What a fool I was to believe I had discovered her last gift, he thought ruefully.

The water pitcher had been one of the very few objects the latest expedition team had recovered from Hell's Gate. Nakamura had been unable to find any anomalies in the object, that was until he used it. He felt himself shake as he recalled a dry, neglected pot plant which kept him company during his stay at PANDORA. How the little plant had come back to full life in front of his eyes as he watered it with the pitcher. Brown leaves had changed to brilliant green before him and the crumbling stem became strong once more. And he knew were PANDORA to discover this break through, the research would never see the light of day. He imagined the good he could do with this, imagined the hope he could bring people. So he did not tell anyone of his discovery and, at the first opportunity, left PANDORA along with the water pitcher.

Painstakingly, he had conducted numerous tests on plants. When his theory proved correct, he moved onto more complex organisms. His eyes moved to a bird cage in the corner of the room, at it's bottom a still lump of pale feathers. Pandora's last gift was indeed hope, but it was false hope.

A shadow flicked past the window and he jumped. Just a cat he thought, steadying himself. Resigned, he lent back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, listening to the slow drip of the tap by the sink. He heard a crackle and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. His body went rigid but he stayed sitting silently in the dark room. If they had come for him, then there was nothing he could do now.

* * *

"There is a man," Yin's toneless voice whispered in Hei's ear. "He is in the lab."

"Describe him to us, Yin." Mao's voice now sounded in his earpiece.

There was a pause. "He is young."

"A little more description would be appreciated, Yin." Huang snapped. Hei could hear him muttering something unkind under his breath.

Another pause. "He is sad."

"Huang." Hei interrupted before the ex-detective could scold the Doll again. "Nakamura was described to be in his sixties."

"This doesn't change your objective, get in there and get that pitcher."

Hei pulled his mask down as he jumped silently from his hiding place. He ran through the shadows cast by the buildings. Stealthily approaching the door, he sent a jolt of electricity through the handle, short -circuiting the security system. The door opened with no resistance. Shrouded by darkness the Black Reaper entered the lab.

"I was wondering when you would come for it." A quiet voice said. "Tell me, did you allow me to leave because you knew its powers?" The man sat staring at the ceiling. "If you have come to kill me, I have saved you the trouble."

"What are you talking about?" Hei harsh voice was loud in the quiet room.

The man now looked at him and Hei could see his eyes were dead. "So, you didn't know..." the man said more to himself. "I spent the last ten years of my life researching Gate artifacts, wishing that I could find the Hope left inside Pandora's Box. And that last gift turned out to be the most cruel."

Hei grasped the front of the man's shirt, lifting him out of the chair. "What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

The man looked around the room. "Water from the pitcher restores life to its fullest. But only for a short time. Then, it takes it all."

Hei looked around the room taking in the withered dead plants. "How long?" he asked.

"A few hours at most," the young man gave a wry smile.

Hei moved to the work bench, collecting the pitcher and placing it carefully within a bag. He heard the ringing of a bell.

"Hei, you can't leave him alive. If PANDORA gets to him they will know for certain that the Syndicate was involved."

"He's dying."

"Well, he needs to die a lot quicker, Hei."

Hei stalked over to the man, pulling out his knife. The man's eyes fell the floor, having come to terms with his fate. Bringing the weapon up high, Hei brought it down swiftly.

The man slumped to the floor unconscious as the hilt of the blade slammed into his temple.

"What are you doing Hei!" Mao demanded.

"This is Yuto Nakamura."

"What?"

"He drank the water from the pitcher. He won't be a problem for much longer." Hei looked over the dead flowers. Mao caught on.

"What did he expect from an item from the Gate?" Mao said scornfully.

"Hope."

Mao looked questioning at Hei. Hei turned to walk out of the lab.

"The Police won't expect foul play if they find Nakamura like that." Hei gestured to a shriveled plant. "Just an ex-PANDORA scientist with an experiment that went wrong."

* * *

November 11 licked a finger as he flicked to the next page of the document before him. Who knew the Police Chief had such questionable taste in friends...the daughter of Shaotang Wang no less. Skimming down the document he got to the section he was particularly interested in. His eyes traveled through the list of involvements coming to rest on a familiar name. Li Shengshun. The paragraph under the Chinese man's name gave an account of his actions during the incident. Employed as a waiter for the birthday party of Wang's daughter, the young man had unwittingly stumbled into a bloodbath when he was ordered to attend the rooftop garden. It was there, he had met the Police Chief.

November smiled to himself as he continued to read. Not just a pretty face, he thought as he read how Li was the one to suggest using a food trolley to sneak Misaki out. Reading further he discovered that the waiter had left Misaki and Saitou suddenly, presumably to go back to work as the Police Chief had instructed.

He flicked to the next page and started reading the section on Contractors present. At the very top was Messier Code VI-952 confirmed to be Wei Shi Jun. A number of grisly photographs accompanied his description. November imagined that must be similar to how his targets would look after the the ice melted from their bodies.

Underneath VI-952, one more Contractor was listed.

BK-201, he read. Well, it appears Kirihara was telling a half truth. Apparently, the woman could be quite devious when she wanted to be.

While there was no proof that BK-201 had been involved in the mass killing of the Qing Long Tang members, he had indeed been present.

The door to the office clicked open and April sauntered in with July in tow. November didn't look up until a piece of paper was pushed in front of his face.

"You're welcome."

November looked up at April who looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. He looked down at the piece of paper before him. Days and times were written down in messy handwriting. In fact, it wasn't a piece of paper at all but a coaster.

"What's this?" November asked irritably, he wasn't in the mood for April's games.

"Oh, only Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome's shift times."

Ice cold eyes glared up at the other Contractor. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Don't play coy, I saw the way you looked at him. In fact, I'm pretty sure the entire bar did!" She lent forwards, placing both hands on his desk. "Come on, November. I think you would make a cute couple." April threw her head back laughing.

November, having had enough of the dark skinned woman's teasing, swiftly knocked his glass of water over. Before April could react, he slammed his hand down, freezing her palms to the desk.

"November!" April screeched.

November stood, adjusting his tie. As April struggled to free her hands, he plucked the coaster from the desk.

"I need a smoke." He looked to the Doll. "July, look after April."

The Doll nodded once not looking at him and November strode out the door. He figured he would find somewhere nice and quiet while the other Contractor defrosted.

* * *

Now sitting in the small court yard of the British Embassy, November considered the information he had read. The subsequent logs on the file had made mention that officers had attempted to obtain a statement from Li, however had been unable to do so. It seemed the young man had not waited around when the police had finally arrived and subsequently they had not obtained his contact details.

Well, November thought, perhaps I can have Misaki in my debt. The file stated that Li had disappeared after the three had left the bathroom, maybe Li had seen something else after that which may be of use...

...I am just making an excuse for myself to see him again, he wondered. He couldn't deny something about Li intrigued him...he also couldn't deny he found the younger man somewhat...attractive. Sighing, November reprimanded himself for his thoughts, taking another drag of his cigarette. If he was being honest with himself, not much had changed for him since becoming a Contractor. Well, besides the obvious fact that he now had the ability to freeze liquids and was forced to partake in a Obeisance he loathed. But other than that, November had never truly felt that his personality had changed drastically. He had always prided himself on being a rational thinker and not controlled by simple things such as emotions. Both were necessary traits in an MI6 agent. If anything, when the Gates appeared November had benefited from it. When his powers had emerged, he suddenly found himself being fast-tracked to a team of specially chosen field agents. And he could not have been more pleased. He supposed that the reason he felt different to other Contractors was because he had never really lost something, rather, he had gained something. And he knew he had found a like-minded person in April.

Once again, his thoughts returned to the dark-haired man. At a guess, he would place Li in his early twenties meaning a potential ten year age gap between them. He shook his head, a Contractor with a conscience, what next? Mentally, he weighed up the pros and cons of seeing the dark-haired man again. He was a logical being after all. Pro; having Misaki in his debt. Pro; gaining potential new information on BK-201. Pro; getting to look into those blue-black eyes again...

He pulled the coaster from his breast pocket, turning it in his hands. It was his duty to investigate the matter fully, he decided. Especially since BK-201 was involved. Wouldn't he look the fool if it happened that the Chinese exchange student had actually seen BK-201 enter the building and he hadn't thought it prudent to question the man. Resolved, November studied the times written on the back of the coaster. 8pm to midnight this evening, he smiled to himself. He would be there.

* * *

Hei gripped the basin in his small bathroom as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. The image of dead, hopeless eyes intruded his thoughts as he looked into his own. Pandora's last gift, Hope, was the most cruel...

His fist smashed into the mirror before his mind could catch up with his actions. He watched as his reflection fragmented before crumbling away revealing the blank tiles behind. Pieces of glass clattered into the basin. His gaze drifted down to them, inadvertently catching sight of his own eyes. Dead and hopeless, he thought. Impulsively, he swiped his hand through the basin sending shards and blood falling to the floor. His hand seared with a sharp, aching pain.

His back hit the wall and he slid to the ground, drawing his knees to his chest. Was that what he had been chasing all these years since South America? Was he clinging to the hope that his sister was still alive? Would he also fall victim to the cruelty of false hope...or had he already?

The feeling of something warm seeping into his jeans roused him from his pessimistic musings. Multiple cuts marred the knuckles of his right hand, red and angry. He turned it over carefully, palm up. A deep laceration ran diagonally from the base of his index finger to the edge of his palm. More blood welled up as he tried to make a fist. Grabbing a nearby towel, he wrapped his hand. Now careful of the glass that littered the floor, he stood and moved to his first aid box. Promptly dressing the wound, Hei begun readying himself for his next shift at the bar. Fixing the little bathroom would have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has stayed around this far!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank-you so much to everyone who has read so far. And thank-you to everyone who left kudos, bookmarked, or subscribed - it makes my day. Also, thank-you to 'Guest' and SoulGrinder for your comments. It made my week!
> 
> I really hope you are all enjoying the fic so far and enjoy the next chapter. Please let me know what you think :)
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Hei felt his hand sting as he reached for the wine bottle. He cursed the impulsiveness his outburst had caused. Contractors weren't meant to be emotional. Ever. So why did the wounds of Amber's betrayal and the disappearance of his sister cut so deep? He felt rage pooling inside him as he thought of the golden eyed Contractor, hand involuntarily tightening around the bottle. He had trusted her. He had trusted her with his life and his sister's and she had betrayed him. She had been the first person he had let get close to him, other than Bai, since the appearance of the Gates turned his world upside down. Allowing himself to get close to Amber had been his greatest mistake in his opinion.

"Li," the manager called to him. Hei snapped to attention. "The man at table two is asking for you."

"Huh? Oh, of course," Hei replied, the tension melting from him as he adopted the persona of Li Shengshun.

He looked over to table two and the tension returned ten-fold. An annoyingly familiar white suited man lounged in the booth, cradling a drink in his hand. Hei couldn't believe it.

Resigned, he walked over to the blond.

"How can I help you Mr..." Hei asked, feigning forgetfulness. He saw a flicker of annoyance pass over the light blue eyes. Good, he thought.

"Simon. Jack Simon."

"How can I help you?" Hei repeated.

The blond eyed him closely. "Please sit down."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Simon-"

"Jack," the Brit interjected.

"-I'm working at the moment."

The blond waved his hand as if dismissing his concerns. "I have already spoken to your manager. This is official police business. Take a seat."

"Ah...forgive me Mr. Simon, but what does a British diplomat have to do with the police?" Hei injected all the naivety of Li Shengshun into his voice.

Now annoyance shone clearly on the other Contractor's face. "Are you always this difficult?"

Hei gave his best deer-in-the-headlights look of astonishment.

The Brit sighed. "I'm currently reviewing a matter where a person of international interest may have been involved." He looked up into the dark blue eyes. "I need to ask you some questions about what occurred at the Wang building a number of weeks ago. So sit down."

This time, Hei complied. The Brit started relentlessly questioning him about his involvement. It made Hei recall the first time the man had interrogated him. Thankfully, all the questions were easily answered.

"And then I just went back to work like Misaki said to do, I never saw anything else."

The blond lent back in the booth, seemingly finished with his questioning. Hei was about to stand up when the blond spoke again.

"What happened to your hand?"

Hei looked down at the bandage covering his right hand. "Oh, I broke a glass while doing the dishes."

"May I see?"

"It's fine-"

The blond lent over the table and grabbed his hand. Carefully, he examined it.

"You're bleeding."

Before Hei could protest, the other man had begun unwrapping the bandage. He looked at Hei reproachfully. "This needs stitches."

"Really? I didn't think it was that bad...I'll go to the hospital after work."

November shook his head. "No, now. I'll tell your manager I need you for an urgent statement."

Before Hei could protest, the blond was striding away from the table. Hei thought about just leaving, but if he were honest with himself the cut likely did require stitches. He saw the blond walking back towards him.

"Come. I'll drive you."

Hei sighed and followed 'Mr. Simon' out of the bar. An unfortunately familiar car was parked on the side of the road. Stepping to the passenger side, the Brit opened the door, motioning for Hei to get in.

"This isn't necessary-"

"Get in."

Feeling scolded, Hei slid into the vehicle.

Hei stared out the window, watching as each lamppost flickered by.

"So why Astronomy?" November broke the silence.

November thought the other wasn't going to respond when a soft voice spoke. "My younger sister used to be scared of the dark."

November kept silent, willing the younger to continue.

"Our parents lived in a rural part of China so we were sent to a boarding school at a young age." Hei continued. "She'd always been scared of the dark but she became terrified at the boarding school."

November stole a glance over at his passenger. The dark-haired man was staring out the window, sadness etched into the reflection cast by the glass.

"She would run to my dorm crying and the other students teased her for it. I wanted to show her that there was nothing to be scared of, that the darkness held its own beauty." November listened to the younger man's story intently as they drove through the dark streets. "One evening, I snuck her out when everyone had gone to bed. She was so frightened, she had her eyes squeezed shut the entire time." A sad laugh. "It wasn't until we reached the lake we had gone to hide out at that I managed to coax her into opening her eyes."

The dark-haired man grew silent again, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "What happened then?" November prompted.

"I showed her the stars." Hei smiled sadly. "I had never seen such wonder on her face, it was like all her fears were forgotten. We stayed out till dawn, trying to count them all. After that, she no longer came to my dorm crying, she came to drag me out of bed to go star-gazing," he chuckled.

November felt a smile pull at his lips at the Chinese man's story. "Does your sister also study Astronomy?"

His passenger grew quiet again.

"I...I don't know, I haven't seen her for a long time." He said quietly.

"I'm-"

November was cut off by the ringing of his phone. Reaching into his breast-pocket he pulled out the device, scanning the caller ID. He flicked it open.

"April."

"You're being followed." April's voice sounded tense. "Two cars behind you, the black sedan."

"Really?" November drawled. "Who the devil could that be?"

"Romanian Mafia. I guess they didn't take too kindly to us stealing Havoc from them."

"And they traveled all the way to Tokyo to see us? How dedicated." His passenger was now looking questioningly at him.

"November, this is serious! They have-"

November didn't hear the rest as his phone flew from his grip. The rear windshield cracked as the car was rammed from behind.

"What's happening?" The man beside him gasped.

November griped the steering wheel tight. "Hang on." He shifted gear and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The engine whirled and tyres screeched.

* * *

April had been contemplating what delightful beverage she would partake in for the evening when she felt something tug at her coat. Looking down, she was surprised to see July staring up at her. But...she thought she could almost detect a hint of panic in the otherwise blank eyes.

"What's wrong," she knelt down to look the Doll in the eyes.

"November. Danger."

April clasped the Doll's shoulders. "Tell me."

"Movement. Followed."

"Who?"

"...Romania."

Understanding flared in April's brain. She snatched her phone off the counter, rapidly hitting speed dial.

Pick up, pick up, she thought.

"April." November's calm voice came across the line.

"You're being followed."

July had climbed onto a kitchen stool beside her. He pulled a piece of paper towards him, starting a messy drawing. April watched transfixed as the rough lines morphed into recognizable shapes.

"Two cars behind you, the black sedan."

July's small hand reached out, pulling another piece of paper toward him.

April heard November's relaxed, almost mocking tone in her ear. She continued to watch July's small hand scribbling over the paper. Her jaw dropped.

"November, this is serious! They have-"

She heard a loud crash.

"November?"

Silence.

"November?!"

Silence.

April turned to July.

"Find him."

* * *

Inertia slammed Hei into the car door as November ripped the vehicle into a tight turn.

"Jack, what's going on?" The Chinese man yelled. November kept his eyes on the road before him.

"It appears my recent negotiations didn't go as well as I thought. I think our friends behind us feel I cheated them out of a substantial profit."

Hei stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

November didn't get the chance to clarify what he meant. His body lurched forward as something slammed into the car causing it to fishtail wildly. He struggled to maintain control of the vehicle as it begun to spin. Now travelling backwards, the car mounted the kerb, smashing into a bus-stop. Catching his breath, November looked out into the dark street, glimpsing the faint blue outline of a figure before it vanished into the darkness.

"Get out of the car now!"

"Jack-"

November grasped the front of the dark-haired man's shirt. "Get out of the car now and run."

Hei looked into the blue eyes. He never thought the cool as ice Contractor could become so rattled. The MI6 agent had more than held his own against him, and if Huang hadn't intervened it may have been a different ending for the Black Reaper. Hei swung the door open and ran.

November breathed a sigh of relief before the gravity of his situation set in. A weapon, he needed a weapon. He frantically searched the cabin of the vehicle. Surely April had left a can of beer rolling around somewhere, he thought. Something whizzed past his ear, lodging into the rear headrest. Water, liquid, anything. He paused.

Reaching into the foot-well he pulled a lever. There was a dull clunk as the bonnet unlocked. Steeling himself, November threw the door open and raced to the front of the car. Prying the hood open, he searched the engine bay. He felt the air move as something slammed into the vehicle, narrowly missing his leg.

There! November thought triumphantly. He ripped the windscreen washer fluid from the car. Gripping the bottle protectively, he jumped, rolling behind the vehicle as an object slammed into where he had been.

A long metal rod protruded from the front of the battered car. November slumped back against the vehicle, quietly mourning the damage inflicted on red car. He had really just wanted a quiet evening for once.

* * *

April sprinted from the Hotel lobby onto the street, pulling July with her. There was a taxi rank just down from the Hotel. She pushed July into the first cab she saw. The Doll's second drawing had made her blood run cold. A poorly drawn figure of a man with black dots littering him arms. April used to joke how they made the perfect pair, well, in terms of their Renumeration at least. Personality wise, they couldn't have been more different. April shuddered, what the other lacked in skill he made up for with pure viciousness. She just hoped she would get there in time.

July pressed his hand against against the glass of the cab window.

"Shinjuku Gyoen. South. Shinjuku Gyoen. South."

April grabbed the taxi driver's shoulder. "Southern road of Shinjuku Imperial Gardens." She pulled her ID out. "And step on it."

* * *

The stench of burning flesh assaulted November 11's nostrils. The smell had always made him gag, more so than cigarette smoke.

"I would have thought your aim would've improved after all these years, December."

"And I thought you would've died from lung cancer by now, November 11," a harsh voice retorted.

November heard the slam of car doors opening and closing. He heard footsteps approaching. "Hurry up and kill him already, would ya? The Police will be here any minute with all the racket you bloody caused. If we're still here when they arrive, I ain't paying you."

"Don't stress," December inhaled sharply as he lifted the cigarette lighter from his skin. A black, circular mark adorned his arm where the flesh had been cauterized. "I'll be quick."

December dipped his hand into his coat pocket producing three small spherical metal balls. He threw them into air, eyes glowing red. "Nice knowing you, November."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this Chapter might tick me over 10,000 words XD
> 
> Again, thank-you to everyone who read, left Kudos, subscribed, bookmarked, commented - thank-you ♥
> 
> Special thanks to Hei_san and JustALittleRandom - thank-you for your comments, they are honestly appreciated :)
> 
> I really hope you all enjoy the next Chapter.
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!
> 
> A/N: WARNINGS: Canon Typical Violence

April willed the taxi to go faster as it sped down the deserted streets. November needed her and she would be damned if she let him down. April was loath to admit it but the other Contractor was important to her. Their team had become tight-nit...well...as tight-nit as cold-hearted Contractors and emotionless Dolls could be. In the years they had worked together, April had started to consider both November and July as family. She was about to try and call November again when the taxi skidded to a stop, horn blaring.

"What the hell are you doing?!" The driver screamed out the window. "I almost hit you!"

April looked up, spotting a familiar dark-haired man.

"Li?"

The younger man was panting as he came up to her window. "April...I don't know what's happening...but Jack told me to run-"

"Which way?" April demanded.

Hei motioned behind him. "Half-way up the street, the car crashed, I'm-"

April ripped the door open. "Take care of July and get out of here." April slammed the door closed, sprinting up the street. Hei stared after the blue-haired woman. Part of him felt...relieved.

"Who the hell is paying this fare?" The taxi driver said angrily, interrupting his thoughts.

Hei didn't need to respond. As the words left the driver's mouth a bullet slammed into his head, the force of the impact splattering blood onto Hei's shirt. The driver slumped across the steering wheel dead.

Reaching into the cab, he grasped July's hand. "Come on!" He urged the boy, pulling the Doll from the car. A round of bullets shredded the side of the taxi. He hadn't heard any gunfire. Silencers, Hei thought. Options flashed through his mind. He couldn't go full-blown Black Reaper on their assailants. For starters, he didn't have any of his equipment on him, not even his trademark coat. Besides, he may as well just go up and introduce himself as BK-201 to 'Mr. Simon' if he did that. And if the Doll didn't report back to the British Contractor he was sure the report from Astronomics would make a nice greeting card. So that removed the Black Reaper from the equation. Which left him with Li Shengshun. And what would Li do? Run. He tightened his grip on the Doll's hand and pulled him into the darkness of the Gardens.

* * *

November darted to the side as he saw the metal balls elongate and morph into spears. Metal manipulation...he imagined December had found quite the niche market for himself after deserting MI6. He peeked his head out from behind the car. December stood in the middle of the street. Behind him, were two men, one cradling a sub-machine gun.

"Tell me, how is life treating you as a Contractor for hire?" November called from behind the car.

November heard a mirthless laugh. "Far better than taking orders from a Contractor who can't even fight on his own. Where is your sidekick by the way? I should really say hello."

"Unfortunately, April prefers not to entertain failures." November retorted.

"You son of a-"

Placing one hand on the roof, November threw himself over his crippled vehicle. Landing in a crouch, he slammed his hand down on the windscreen washer bottle. December dived out of the way, but he wasn't November's target.

A sub-machine gun clattered to the ground as its owner griped his neck, blood spurting from between his fingers. A shard of ice had severed his carotid artery.

"Marius!" The other Romanian shouted. He drew a pistol aiming for November, but he was gone. A cold hand gripped his wrist. He tried to pull the trigger but he couldn't. His fingers were frozen. Literally.

"Your first lesson is the importance of protecting your _sidekicks_."

December snarled, sending a metal ball flying at November. The ball connected, tearing skin and flesh apart. There was a dull thump as a body hit the ground.

"My, my. He was meant to shield you, not me." Cold icy eyes looked up from the man he had used as a human shield."I guess you won't be getting paid."

December looked enraged and November was now vividly conscious that he no longer had a weapon. You just had to poke the hornet's nest, didn't you? He thought to himself. November glanced over into the darkness of the Shinjuku Gardens behind him. There was too much open space on the street and he doubted December would keep missing forever. He resented the idea of running away but it was the logical choice, he told himself. Decision made, he ran.

* * *

Hei sprinted through the gardens pulling July behind him. He knew whoever chased them would not stop until they were caught. He had to find a way to get rid of them without resorting to the use of his powers. Ducking behind a large tree, he stopped and listened. Two sets of footsteps, and at least one person was armed. Crouching down in front of July, Hei made sure to make direct eye contact with the Doll. He needed the Doll to understand, but more importantly he needed the Doll to trust him. And the only way to gain that trust was for the Doll to know that Hei had the best interests of the MI6 team at heart.

"July." He started. The Doll looked up at him. "Jack is in danger. I don't know why these people are after him but I need you to help me stop them. Can you do that?"

Hei was painfully aware of the footsteps growing closer but he kept his eyes locked with July's. The Doll stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, a small, barely perceptible nod.

"Can you trust me?"

He thought he saw a brief moment of hesitation in the blank eyes. The Doll seemed to consider him for a moment.

"Yes."

Hei swallowed his shock at the verbal response. He had not been expecting that from the Doll, but there was no time to dwell on it. He grabbed July's hand again and pulled him further into the gardens.

* * *

November felt splinters graze his face as a metal spear slammed into the tree next to him. It was degrading to run from the enemy like this, especially a former student and subordinate. Though the United Kingdom was never actively involved in Heaven's War, the Secret Intelligence Service had scrambled to enlist more combat capable Contractors. December was one of them. Due to the similar method of executing their powers, November was assigned to mentor the other contractor. While they certainly shared similarities in terms of powers and Renumeration, personality wise they clashed. November thought the other careless and cocky, too certain in his own abilities and too arrogant to take orders from someone he viewed as beneath him. After a botched mission in Siberia, which lead to the death of the team's Doll, November made sure the other Contractor was not only booted from his team but booted from the Service. He was now thankful he never managed to teach December how to aim properly.

The tall cedars were providing good cover, but he still needed to put more distance between himself and December. Another spear flew past him, embedding in a tree. A thought came to him. He knew from experience that December could only have a limited supply of the metal rounds on him, his pockets were only so deep after all. What if he could anger December into using more? Is was risky, but he didn't exactly have much choice in the matter.

"I doubt you could shoot single fish even if I froze the barrel for you." November quipped. He felt a spear fly past his nose. Well that certainly improved his aim, he thought darkly. But it had worked.

Two more spears flew past as November continued to dart though the thicket. The trees were beginning to thin as he continued forward. He pressed his back up against one of the larger ones, deciding where to go next. A small lake sparkled before him, a wooden bridge at its narrowest point. No good, he thought. To his left was on open green, at its far side stood a circular traditional gazebo. Something caught his eye. He could see a small figure sitting in the center of the structure. It looked like a child. Squinting, he spotted a familiar brown cap. His eyes widened.

* * *

Stomach pressed flat against the roof, Hei lay motionless on the top of the gazebo. He glanced over the edge as the two men approached the structure. He could see the first man was the one who shot up the taxi. He was tall and heavy set, casually holding his firearm. There was something strange about the other. He was lanky but it was as if his right arm was completely limp. He didn't carry a weapon.

"What the..." The first man grumbled.

"That's the kid who was with them!" The other spat, pointing at July with his left hand.

"Hey, I don't wanna kill no kid-"

Hei threw himself off the gazebo, smashing his foot into the first man's knee. The man screamed as his knee hyper-extended and the gun fell from his grip. Hei landed his other foot on the ground, pivoting into a roundhouse kick which sent the man flying. But luck wasn't on his side. He saw the second man snatch the gun off the ground, pointing it at him. The man held the gun shakily, not out of fear but as if he wasn't use to holding one. Then Hei realized - the man was missing his right arm. Regardless, he was so close to Hei that it wouldn't matter if the man was a terrible shot.

It's over, Hei thought. He didn't feel fear, he didn't feel anger, he didn't feel sorrow. He just looked down the barrel.

The lawn was suddenly lit by quick flashes of light as the gun dispensed its magazine, dirt filled the air as bullets ripped into the grass.

"How about you loose the other arm now?" November whispered to the man beneath him.

Hei stared frozen as the MI6 agent threw one-armed man to the ground, the gun discharging as the two fell.

The lawn was immersed in darkness again as November stood dusting himself off. Hei didn't see what happened, but the one-armed man was no longer moving.

"What are you doing?" November snapped, turning to Hei. November's eyes fell to the Chinese man's blood splattered shirt. Fear gripped the Brit. "Are you hurt?"

"It's not mine..." Hei answered quietly.

November pushed Hei to the ground as a projectile flew past, narrowly missing the dark-haired man.

"Do you have a phone?" November yelled.

Hei shook his head and November most definitely did not curse.

"I want you to take July and run as fast as you can to Shinjuku Police Station. July can direct you. Once there, call Misaki Kirihira and tell her Jack Simon is requesting assistance. She will know what to do."

"What about you?" The words left Hei's mouth before he could think.

"Go now." November ordered.

Their eyes locked. Hei looked away and nodded. He felt a squeeze on his shoulder. Standing, Hei went to July and took his hand again. They ran into the shadows.

November felt something wet hit his nose. Then his ear. Then his forehead. His mouth formed a grin.

About time, he thought.

* * *

April cursed November to the depths of Hell when she saw the battered Mazda and the two corpses. How was she meant to help the other Contractor when she had no idea where he was? She needed to strap a tracker to that man. But, it would be a cold day in Hell when that happened, she lamented. Or an icy one.

She was just glad she didn't have to worry about July. She was sure that Li would have run to the closest Police Station and sounded the alarm.

The toe of her boot connected with something. She looked down. Windscreen washer fluid? November was never hearing the end of this. She looked around trying to determine where November and the ex-MI6 agent had gone. Her powers were limited. She could only control a portion of the atmosphere. The more area she controlled, the more the affects of her powers were limited. She needed to pinpoint November's location. Something flickered in this distance. A blue light enveloped April. The wind picked up. She was a gambling woman. And she would place good money on that being gunfire. Her eyes glowed red. Showtime.

* * *

December stepped into the open. He pulled his lighter out.

"It's over," he called to November.

November stood head down. The wind was staring to pick up.

"You know...I never did pay you back for June's death."

"You're still hung up about the death of a useless, expendable _Doll_?" December said, disbelieving.

"No, no. Of course not." November said. The droplets hitting him increased and the wind now swirled above him. "But, I'm a man of my word."

November slammed his hand to the ground as the downpour hit. December plunged his hand into his pocket. It was empty.

"You were always a terrible student."

December screamed as he felt every cell in his body distort and break as it froze. Then there was silence, save for the gentle pitter patter of rain.

November reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He walked over to to December's frozen body, pulling the lighter from his hand.

"You can stop now," he called out, inhaling cigarette smoke.

April walked out from the refuge of the trees. "You had me a bit worried there, One One." April smirked.

The nickname irritated November to no end. "I don't see why, he was always an awful shot."

April smiled knowingly. Sirens sounded in the distance, growing closer.

"Come on. I bet your Police Chief is waiting to interrogate you."

* * *

"Astronomics reported a star previously unknown to us become highly active this evening. " Misaki said. "My guess is that it wasn't unknown to you."

"You would be correct in your assumption." November stated.

Misaki frowned. "If MI6 is going to be using Section 4 as a base of operations, I do expect some reciprocation when it comes to the sharing of intel." Misaki narrowed her eyebrows. "After all, I would expect it as a gesture of goodwill and respect towards my department."

"Of course," November smiled. "I'll ensure the relevant information reaches you as a matter of priority."

"I would also be curious as to why you were in the company of Li Shengshun this evening."

November had to hand it to the Police Chief. She gave as good as she got.

'Well, as it happens I was trying to do you a favour."

"What would that be?"

"You didn't consider our friend Li may have seen something after he left your presence at the Wang building?" Misaki winced. "Tell me, how is he?"

Misaki looked over to a patrol car nearby. November followed her gaze. He could see the exchange student talking to one of Kirikara's subordinates.

"He's got nerve, that's for sure. After he raised the alarm at Shinjuku Police Station he insisted on directing the officers to where you were." Misaki answered, November swore he could see a light blush on her cheeks. "He has a significant laceration to his hand so I'll have Saitou take him up to the Hospital now."

He nodded and Misaki walked over to Li and Saitou. November looked over at the dark-haired man, he felt guilt gnaw at him for unknowingly placing the younger in danger. But, he also felt something else...he called it curiosity. He had seen something that evening. He had seen Li, the seemingly harmless Chinese exchange student, take out a member of the Romanian Mafia. And he looked good doing it, November thought.

"Do you know why I like to go out drinking, November?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

April now stood beside him, sipping from a can of beer.

"Do tell." November took another drag of his cigarette.

"It's because I enjoy it." April laughed. "I like going out to bars and meeting new people. I find it relaxing."

November glanced over at April, unsure where she was going with this.

"You know, I'm pretty sure July actually draws in his free time." She said more seriously. "What I'm trying to say is you're allowed to have fun, you know. You're allowed to have something outside of work...or someone. " She finished.

November glared at her.

She laughed. "Don't give me that look! Besides, no one could possibly judge you...he's hot as _hell_. Hey, maybe he could melt that shard of ice you call a heart?" April poked him on the shoulder.

November took the can of beer from April. He took a sip.

"I think the alcohol is going to your head." He passed the can back to April. "Go back to the Hotel, I'll finish up here." He walked off.

April raised the can to her lips. Nothing came out. She raised it a bit higher. Still nothing. She peered into the can.

The beer was frozen solid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, not going to lie. I found this Chapter the most difficult. I really struggled with writing 'action' scenes so I hope they turned out alright.
> 
> I also hope the pacing is OK for the development between November and Hei. I'm endeavoring to make it as natural as possible. 
> 
> As always, let me know what you think :) And thank-you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I removed the note I had at the end of one of the last Chapters that I would endeavour to update around Friday/Saturday. Unfortunately, I just don't think I can handle that kind of commitment O_o...maybe I have commitment issues...? Not in terms of finishing this fic! Don't worry, I'm commited to that ;) But updates might be twice week or sometimes a bit over a week. I'll shut up, I'm rambling now.
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Hei deftly sliced through the vegetables, tossing them into the waiting pan. He felt his stitches tug under the bandage. Two boxes of medication sat on the counter however only one was open. The doctor had prescribed him a course of antibiotics for his hand which he had started taking immediately. There was no sense in risking a potential infection after all. The painkillers however remained unopened. Hei found that pain medications always made him drowsy and that was certainly something he couldn't afford in his line of work. The wound stung as he gripped the handle of the pan, tossing rice and vegetables together.

His mind wandered to when he had cooked for himself and Carmine in the dingy motel room. He gripped the knife tighter at the thought of his ex-teammate. Why was he so angry at her death when he had been prepared to kill her? He started slicing through another vegetable. He knew the answer, he was angry at himself. Angry that he had lost control, angry that he was no closer to finding out what happened to Bai, angry that he had jeopardized his team. He wanted to blame the MI6 agent for Carmine's death, but he knew it was his own desperation that caused it. Carmine now joined the long list of those he hadn't been able to save or had killed. And Hei wasn't sure which category she fell into. 

There was a knock at the door. Hei moved to the window and peered out. Sighing, he removed the pan from the stove, turning it off. He had a feeling this wouldn't be a short visit. Removing the bolt, Hei opened the door. 

"I figured I owed you an apology for last night," November said, removing his sunglasses. "May I come in?"

Hei nodded, stepping aside to let the other enter.

"How's your hand?"

Hei walked over to the stove. "It's fine, thank-you." He flicked the stove back on and moved to pick the pan back up. He figured he may as well finish cooking. 

"Should you really be doing that?" The blond asked concerned.

Hei laughed softly, looking over his shoulder at the Brit. "Well, it's not like anyone is going to do it for me."

"No girlfriend?" November inquired. The dark-haired man shook his head, turning back to the stove. 

"Boyfriend?"

Hei turned to stare at the other man. "Sorry?"

"I'm asking if you're seeing anyone."

"Ah, no...I've only really just moved here, I really don't know anyone." Hei quickly changed the topic before the nosy man pried any further. "Would you like some?"

The blond grinned. "Certainly. It smells wonderful."

Hei had made enough to feed at least three people, though he had been intending to eat it all himself. Switching the stove off again, he went to lift the pan. Pain flashed through his hand and he almost lost his grip on the handle. 

A hand on his elbow gently pulled him away from the stove. November took the pan from him. 

"Go sit down."

Hei stared at November. The man was so close Hei could clearly smell his cologne over the faint scent of cigarettes. He shook himself from his trance moving to pull two bowls out, placing them on the bench.

"I'm sure you would feel much better if you took those painkillers." November said as he dished up the rice. He cocked an eyebrow, "Are you a masochist?"

Hei felt his face flush at the other's words. He gaped at November feeling scandalized. 

"I'm kidding." November smirked at him, bringing the two bowls over. He placed them on the small table.

"Thank-you," Hei said. 

"No, thank-you." November smiled at him. Hei looked down, away from the piercing blue eyes. The two started to eat.

"This is good," the blond said with a hint of surprise. "Who taught you to cook?"

"Ah, I actually taught myself," the younger man replied. "I'm glad you like it."

They finished the rest in silence. 

If someone had told Hei that he would be seeing a lot more of the blond Contractor he would not have doubted them. If someone had told him that he would be sitting in his own apartment eating lunch with the MI6 agent he would have backed away very slowly. Because obviously they suffered from a very special kind of madness. Still, here he was in his little apartment sharing his home-cooked meal with the Contractor who could give the Black Reaper a run for his money. 

Hei was about to collect the empty bowls when November reached out to take his. Hei looked at him questioningly. 

"It's the least I can do." November stood taking the bowls to the small sink. 

"I'm very sorry for what happened last night." 

Hei watched as the Brit turned the tap on, starting to wash the bowls. 

"I've recently been conducting negotiations in a less desirable part to the world," the blond continued. "I honestly had no idea my colleagues and I had been followed here. I am very regretful for placing you in danger."

Hei didn't know what to say. What could he say?

"...that's alright." 

The Brit turned and looked him in the eye. "No, it's not. You have my most sincere apologies." November placed the now clean bowls down, returning to the table. "You know, Misaki almost had my head when she found out what happened," the blond laughed. "I think she might have a small crush on you," November teased the Chinese man. 

Hei felt his face flush again. "I...I'm pretty sure Misaki doesn't like me in that way." 

"Oh, really? I'm quite adept at reading subtle signals. It comes with the job."

"So who were those people?" Hei asked, not wanting to think about what feelings the Police Chief might have for him. 

The other Contractor grew serious again. "They were a faction of the Romanian Mafia. The Police have them in custody now."

The dark part of Hei felt pleased. He knew that Carmine's stay with the criminal organisation could not have been a pleasant one and he felt no sorrow for whatever fate awaited those men. 

November leaned back in his chair staring thoughtfully at the younger man across from him. 

"So, you taught yourself how to cook. Did you also teach yourself to fight?"

Hei felt stunned...so the other Contractor had seen that. 

November eyed the younger man carefully. "It was quite a stunt you pulled. It leads me to believe you have some considerable martial arts training."

"Well, I did do some as a kid...our school offered it after class and I kept it up later on. Still, I probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't tackled that other guy." The dark-haired man smiled at him. 

"You're probably right." The words had come out harsher than November intended. The Chinese man's eyes fell to his hands looking chastised. 

They lapsed into an awkward silence. 

November cast his eyes around the small apartment. He spotted a long, canvas bag in the corner of the room.

"Is that a telescope?"

Hei followed that other's gaze, nodding sadly. "Yeah...it doesn't work though. The lens is broken."

"You know, I happen to know someone who works at the National Observatory. I'll get it fixed for you." Misaki had mentioned to him that she had a friend who worked in Astronomics and November was sure he could twist her arm into having Li's telescope seen too. 

"No, it's ok, I couldn't ask you to do that." Hei really, really didn't want to owe the man anything. 

"You don't have to, it would be my pleasure." The blond smiled at him flashing perfect teeth. "It will make me feel better after almost killing you."

Hei just stared at the other man again. What had he done to be subjected to this? Besides murder, torture and theft, his sub-conscience provided. It could be worse, he told himself. 

"I should probably get your phone number so I can let you know when it's fixed." November said when the other didn't respond. 

"I actually don't have a phone..." 

"Really?" November said, disbelieving.

Hei nodded. "You can get fired at work for using one and as I said I don't really know anyone here so..."

"I see...well that can be easily fixed." November stood. Hei looked up at November uncertain what the other meant. Getting a phone or getting to know someone? Hei wasn't particularly sold on either. November walked over and picked up the long canvas bag. "I imagine you won't be working this evening?" The way the Brit said it made it sound more like a statement than a question which irritated Hei. But unfortunately for Hei, Li was never irritated. 

"No, I won't be." He answered. 

"Good." The blond said, sliding his sunglasses back on. "Take care of yourself, Li. I'll be in touch."

Hei closed the door, pulling the bolt back into place. He peered out the window again, this time watching the British Contractor walking to a sleek, black sedan. Hei half-heartedly mourned for the red sports car, at least he could see that coming a mile off. He watched the sedan leave the kerb, driving away. Letting himself sink to the floor, Hei pressed his palms to his temples. That man was giving him a headache again. For someone who was meant to be the embodiment of rational thinking he was sure at a loss to explain the other man's actions. Contractors were meant to be logical beings, so why did the other save him when it surely would have been less dangerous to let the one-armed man kill him? Contractors were meant to care only for their own well being, so why had he seen fear in the other's eyes when the blond thought he was injured? Contractors certainly weren't meant to feel guilt, so why on earth was the blond so adamant about making last night up to him?

Like you're one to talk, his sub-conscience whispered at him. He could have stayed in the safety of the Police Station last night. Instead, he had insisted on directing the Officers to where the MI6 agent was when he fully knew there was a dangerous Contractor active. I wanted to pay him back after he saved me from being filled with bullets, he tried to rationalize. Somehow, it didn't seem very convincing to him. 

Hei let out a deep breath. The painkillers on the counter were looking better and better. 

He heard scratching at the door. Placing his good hand on the floor, he pushed himself up. Mao walked into the small apartment as Hei held the door open for him. 

"You know, you could always get a cat flap," Mao greeted, scratching his ear.

"This complex isn't pet friendly and neither am I am the moment."

Mao visibly gulped. "I see you're in just as bad a mood as Huang."

"What's happened?"

"You happened. I told Huang about you telling those MI6 agents and the Police Chief that you were here studying Astronomy."

"What's the problem," Hei bit out. "Isn't that my cover? An exchange student from China?"

"Yes, but you were only enrolled at the University! We were going to have you defer your course before the semester started due to personal reasons. Do you know how difficult it would be to fudge your class attendance?"

"How was I to know that!" Hei snapped at Mao.

"The Syndicate is taking care of it but Huang's furious. I suggest you lay low for a bit."

Mao's feline gaze sharpened on the bandage around Hei's hand.

"Oh God, what have you done now?" 

Hei got the feeling Mao was more concerned for himself.

"Nothing. It won't affect any missions."

"It better not. I don't think I can handle telling Huang more bad news."

Mao padded to the door. 

"I also happened to see your friend leaving."

"Are you going to tell Huang," Hei said with no inflection. 

"No, it's just an observation." Feline eyes appraised him. "I trust you won't spill any secrets."

"Is that all?"

Mao nodded. It struck Hei as strange that even though Mao was stuck in a cat's body, he still imitated human behavior. 

"That's all." 

Hei bolted the door closed once more. Hopefully, this time, it would stay that way. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

November smiled to himself as he steered the sedan through the streets. He owed April a six-pack for the little nudge she had given him. While he was ready to admit to himself that his thoughts of the dark-haired man were steadily drifting away from professional curiosity, he would sooner bite his own tongue off than reveal that to the blue-haired Contractor. The woman could be quite cunning when she wanted to be and it wouldn't surprise November if she tried something to push them together. Something November was sure he wouldn't appreciate. No, best he kept quite for as long as possible.

He let his thoughts continue to drift to the Chinese student. Li had certainly piqued his interest, something that was very difficult to do these days. When you were a Secret Service agent with supernatural powers, everyday people tended to be a bit mundane. But Li was fast becoming an exception. He could still sense something under the calm, polite exterior the other blue-eyed man presented. Something he wanted to see stirred and brought to the surface. Something almost dangerous. What he currently knew of the dark-haired man was limited. He knew Li was a Chinese exchange student studying at the University. He knew he took casual work where he could. He knew he had a seriously mean roundhouse kick.

He also knew he was available.

Backtracking, November mentally analysed what he had seen the prior evening. He had been puzzled when he saw July sitting in the gazebo and he admitted that he may have been alarmed when he saw the two men approaching the Doll. He couldn't deny that he was completely shocked when he saw a slim dark figure leap from the roof of the gazebo. And he would be lying if he said he wasn't absolutely astounded when, without hesitation, Li had snapped the man's knee before sending him flying.

He refused to admit that he had actually been scared when he saw the second man grab the gun.

November got the feeling Li wasn't quite giving the whole story when the younger explained he had learned martial arts as a child. Sure, the younger man admitted that he had kept it up later on but it didn't account for how precise and powerful his moves were. Almost graceful, he thought. He was trained, yes, but he looked professionally trained. He supposed perhaps the student was being modest and didn't want to be seen as bragging about his expertise, it would make sense considering his personality. The other thing that had struck November as odd, but not completely unexpected, was the fact the Li had actually _strategized_ taking the two men out. And the strategy likely would have worked had the gun not slid that far. He knew from Kirihara's report on the incident at the Wang tower that the Chinese man could think on his feet, he was level-headed in the face of danger. Which brought further questions to the fore-front of November's mind.

He glanced back at the long canvas bag which rested on the rear seats. Fortunately, November could also think on his feet. He now had the perfect, inconspicuous excuse to see the man again. He was certain Misaki would be more than happy to provide her friend's services knowing the telescope belonged to Li. She did appear to have a soft spot for the exchange student after all. He hadn't missed the way the Police Chief kept stealing small glances at the dark-haired man when she thought he wasn't looking. November also hadn't missed the way the Chief's subordinate kept stealing glances at the other police officer when he thought _she_ wasn't looking.

They weren't the only ones who stole glances that evening. November thought back to when the Chinese man told him about his and his sister's time at the boarding school. November hadn't missed the lines of sadness that marred the attractive face when Li recounted his story. He found himself wondering why what sounded like a happy memory brought so much pain to the younger man.

The entry for the Hotel carpark came into view and November steered the car towards it. It was past midday now so he figured April would finally be up. He had found the woman half a bottle into his best whiskey when he finally returned home from Shinjuku Gyoen last night. April had explained to him in no uncertain terms that unless he wished to make water damage claims on all his belongings he best leave her and _her_ bottle of whiskey be. November made a mental note never to freeze one of April's beloved beers ever again.

  
When November stepped out of the lift he honestly thought the suite was on fire. The smell of burnt bacon and eggs engulfed the room as he stepped through the door. He saw April bent over a frying pan attempting to scrape the cremated food onto a plate.

"Good afternoon." He greeted the other Contractor.

"Where have you been this morning?" April groaned, continuing to scrape at the pan. November was quietly thankful he had already eaten.

"Working, unlike some. I had some loose ends to tie up in relation to last night's incident."

April grumbled something under her breath which suspiciously sounded like 'Workaholic' to November. She moved to the table now attempting to cut through the rock hard bacon. November followed her over.

"I'd like to know why you had July send a spectre after me last night. Were you concerned or spying?"

April looked up at him, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I didn't," April said.

November rolled his eyes. "April, you're a terrible liar-"

"November." April now had a serious expression on her face. "I didn't."

He looked at her closely. He had known her for a long time. Long enough to know when she wasn't joking. Understanding dawned on him. July sent out the spectre...by himself?

"What happened?" He asked.

April began to recount how the Doll had sought her out after she put him to bed. How the Doll told her, not in so many words, that November was in danger. How the Doll was able to _identify_ who followed him.

April moved over to a small desk, opening the top drawer. She pulled out two pieces of paper.

"I'm not making this up, November." She handed him the two pieces of paper.

He was gobsmacked. The drawings were clearly done by a child of July's age. They were messy and lacked detail but November could easily recognize what they were.

"He drew those while I was on the phone to you..." April continued.

November gently handed the drawings back to April. While he had heard rumours about Dolls who had acted contrary to their programming, it was just that - rumours. November had never seen it nor met anyone that had. He had always just assumed that the rumours started due to a glitch in programming rather than a Doll exercising some form of free-will. But now he wasn't so sure.

He walked to the Doll's room, carefully opening the door. July sat on his bed, legs hung over the side, not quite reaching the ground. He looked up at November, eyes blank.

"July..." November started to say, then found himself at a loss for words. What was he going to say? Why were you tracking me? Is there an issue with your programming? How do you know how to draw?

"...thank-you."

November closed the door.

* * *

  
Misaki could see the paperwork starting to pile up. She had known that her work load would increase when she was promoted to Section Chief, but this amount was enough to suck the life out of anyone. She had a mummified PANDORA scientist in her precinct, several Romanian nationals in her custody (however their locations ranged from jail-cell to hospital to morgue), and a still defrosting Contractor (also located in the morgue). And to top it all off she still had no further leads on BK-201. 

The phone on her desk starting ringing. She reached over, knocking several files to the floor. 

"Section 4, Kirihara," she answered. 

"Misaki...it's Sergeant Harada." 

Harada...she knew that name. She mentally slapped herself. Jiren. Jiren Harada. The geeky recruit who use to relentlessly hit on her at the police academy. She couldn't believe he had made Sergeant.

"Jiren! Who did you pay off to get promoted?"

She heard a chuckle on the other end. 

"All blood, sweat and tears. But I hear you are killing it, Misaki. Chief of Section 4...and only 27. I guess you aren't settling down anytime soon..."

"Forget it, Jiren." She halted him before he got any ideas. "What can I help you with?"

She heard a sigh.

"We've had a string of deaths recently. All same cause. My team is struggling to find a link between any of the persons involved. Hell, we don't know if there is a connection or if it's all coincidence."

Misaki listened intently. "Go on," she said.

"I don't think it's anything up your alley but I would appreciate a fresh set of eyes on the case."

"What makes you think I can help?"

There was a pause. "I want to rule out any Contractor involvement."

"...so you know."

"Yes." Jiren answered confidently. "I'm with the Detectives now and we've been briefed on the situation. I gotta tell you Misaki, all this Contractor stuff sounds absolutely crazy."

"Forward me what you have. I'll have a look over it and tell you what I think."

"Thanks a heap, Misaki. How about I repay you with a drink?"

Several more files flew to the floor as Misaki slammed the phone down. Some people just never change. 

* * *

  
Hei couldn't remember when he started walking just that he had. The little apartment was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic, not nearly big enough to contain all the thoughts he had stirring in his head. He turned a corner deciding to head towards the shopping strip. He figured he could go for a second lunch. As he turned the corner, his breath was knocked from him as something thudded into his chest. 

"You got him!" A woman exclaimed, running towards Hei.

Got who? He thought.

Hei looked down. A child, maybe 10 or 11, sat on the concrete before him rubbing his back. He stared up at Hei with fear in his eyes.

The woman descended upon the child. 

"You little thief," she yelled, pulling the child up by his arm. "This is the last time you steal from my pharmacy! You just wait till the police tell your parents about this!"

"Please miss, I need them." The child croaked out. 

The child tried to tug his arm free from the woman's grip causing two asthma inhalers to clatter to the ground. 

Hei looked at the scene before him. He had expected the child to have stolen chocolate or some other sweet. Not medicine. He moved to interrupt the two. How many times had Bai and he had to steal just in order to survive? This child was just doing the same. 

"I'm so sorry, miss." The woman looked over at him. "Please don't involve the police. I'm meant to be looking after him and if he gets in trouble, I get in trouble."

"You're his babysitter?"

Hei laughed awkwardly. "Yeah...he's a handful. How much do we owe you for the items?"

The woman looked over Hei critically. 

"2,000 Yen."

Hei pulled his wallet out.

"Each."

Hei felt his eye twitch. Now he was the one being robbed. He handed the money over. The woman snatched it from him, releasing the child.

"If I see him back in my store, I will call the police." The woman turned on her heel and stormed off. 

Hei crouched down to the child. "Are you ok?" He asked. 

The child nodded, staring at Hei like he was an apparition. 

"What's your name?"

"Ben." The child replied nervously.

"Well, Ben. I'm Li. Pleased to meet you." Hei smiled giving his best _I'm not a deadly assassin_ look of nativity. 

A small hand whipped out grabbing both inhalers. Hei saw the child stumble as he ran away as fast as he could. He looked at the rapidly disappearing figure. Maybe he had to work on his harmless look. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who has read :) I do have a quick question - how are you finding chapter lengths? I've only ever translated other fics and each chapter was just shy of 2,000 words. I have been making sure I hit the 2,000 word mark at least with my (this) fic...but is it too short? I think my next chapters will start becoming longer due to plot etc. But just wanted to know people's thoughts :) (And hopefully I'm not ticking off subscribers with constant notifications!).
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Saitou placed a hand on his gun to remind himself it was there and it was loaded. The so called British Foreign Minster had just entered the lobby carrying a long canvas bag and while Saitou really didn't think it contained an assortment of weaponry, he couldn't help his mind wandering.

The MI6 agent approached him.

"I'm here to see Chief Kirihara," November drawled.

Saitou grit his teeth. "What's in the bag?

"Sniper Rifle," the Contractor said. Saitou gulped. "Kidding. Tell me, what would you do if it was a weapon? Would you run to protect your Chief?"

Saitou glared at November. He swiped the bag from the Brit. Unzipping it, he looked inside.

Saitou blinked, confused. "What are you doing with this?"

"That's between me and Chief Kirihara. May I go through now?"

Saitou stepped aside, continuing to glare at November. He tapped his earpiece when the Contractor was out of earshot. "Kouno. That MI6 Contractor is coming up. Keep an eye on him."

* * *

Misaki read through the files she had received from Harada. Seven deaths within the past three weeks. No known links, the victims were all unknown to each other. Individually, the deaths were non-suspicious. There were no injuries, no signs of struggle, nothing. Hypoxia was determined to be the cause of death among the seven but the mechanism was indeterminate. A missing person report was also included. Ikumo Fujimura, a 37 year old male reported missing by his wife three weeks ago. Nothing in the files specifically struck Misaki as being Contractor related. The deaths all did appear to be coincidental as Harada had thought and she doubted the male's disappearance was related or really of any relevance. Still, she would request a report from Astronomics.

The door to her office clicked open and Kouno poked his head in.

"Chief, heads up, Mr. Jack Simon is on his way up." Kouno used air quotes around the MI6 agent's false name.

"Thank you, Kouno." Kouno moved to close the door. "And Kouno, knock next time."

"You're the boss!" The door clicked closed.

Misaki started organizing her desk, she heard the door click open again.

"Kouno I said-"

She broke off when she saw who was at the door.

"My apologies, Chief. I was told you were waiting for me."

"Mr. Simon." Misaki really had to have a word with Kouno later.

"Please, you can call me November when it's just the two of us." The blond smirked.

"What can I do for you?" Misaki stayed professional not rising to the Contractor's playful tone.

"Well, I was quite hoping you would do a favour for a mutual friend of ours."

"Who would that be?"

"Li Shengshun. You see I have-"

"Why are you pestering Li again?" Misaki interrupted, irritated. When November had practically groped the young man at the bar, Misaki had almost died from embarrassment. And when she had found out November had almost inadvertently killed the young man, the Brit had almost died. Every conversation she had had with November recently always seemed to lead to the Contractor asking her more about the Chinese exchange student. She was starting to get very suspicious as to why November seemed so interested in the young man.

"I felt I should apologize to Li for, as you so aptly put it, 'almost ending his life to satisfy my childish curiosity'."

Misaki felt heat rise on her face. She had been furious at how the Contractor had kept making light of an almost deadly situation. She knew now that the Contractor had been acting in Li's best interests but she hadn't known when she said that.

"Fine. What exactly is this favour you want?"

November placed the long canvas bag he was holding on her desk. At first Misaki was nervous but she knew Saitou wouldn't have let the Contractor past with a bag of explosives. Or not without at least giving her a heads up.

"What's that?" Misaki asked.

"Telescope."

Misaki looked at November questioningly.

"I may have offered to have it fixed for Li. I recall you told me one of your close friends worked in Astronomics. I was hoping you wouldn't be adverse to asking her to take a look at it. For Li, of course."

"Li gave this to you?"

"Yes."

November was un-forthcoming with information and Misaki was getting sick of it. So the Contractor had seen Li again since the Shinjuku Gyoen incident. Something about that didn't sit well with Misaki and she wasn't sure if it was because of her own growing feelings toward the Chinese student or the protective instinct in her that screamed that no matter how charming November was, he was still dangerous. He was a Contractor after all and Li was just an innocent member of the public.

Misaki unzipped the canvas bag and looked inside. A long white tube sat inside next to a retracted mount. She grasped the tube lifting it from the bag. Several pieces of glass slid out. She placed it back in the bag.

"Can this even be fixed?"

"I'm hoping your friend will be able to tell us."

Misaki sighed. Li was a foreign student in a strange country. And she imagined his short time in Japan hadn't been that hospitable so far. She wanted to do this for him.

"Alright. I need an analysis from Astronomics anyway. So I'll take it in."

Misaki reached out to take the long bag however November beat her to it.

"Excellent. It will be good to meet your friend."

Misaki grimaced. It looked like the Contractor would be coming with her.

* * *

Kanami held the tube in the air, carefully looking down it. She placed it back on the table before her.

"Honestly, this thing is ancient. They don't even make Satake telescopes anymore, the business went bust shortly after the Gates appeared." Kanami turned to face Misaki and the man she had recently been introduced to as Jack Simon. "I have a few refractors similar to this one that aren't in use. You are welcome to take one of them."

November frowned. "How old is it?"

Kanami turned back to the telescope.

"Honestly? This model is most likely over a decade old."

Something nagged at the back of November's mind. Over ten years old...had Li had it the entire time? Did he and his sister use it to star-gaze at the lake? He shook his head slowly.

"Is there any chance of repairing this one?" He asked.

Kanami looked at the man confused.

"Well...I could look into getting a replacement lens to fit but it really isn't worth it. Not for this telescope at least."

November shook his head again, this time firmly.

"I think it would be worth it to the owner."

Kanami eyed the man before her curiously.

"Ok...but I'm not guaranteeing anything."

She placed the tube back into the bag setting it aside.

"What else can I be of assistance with?"

This time Misaki spoke. "I need a detailed star analysis for the past three weeks. I need to know if there has been any repeated activity from a particular star and the duration it was active."

November and Kanami both looked at Misaki.

"What do you have?" Kanami asked.

"The detectives are investigating a string of deaths in the area. Autopsies showed that all persons of interest died as a result of hypoxia."

Kanami rubbed her chin. "Suffocation...what makes you think it's Contractor related?"

"I don't particularly, but I said I would look into it for a colleague."

Kanami nodded. "I'll make sure I get on it right away. Otsuka's been away at some big convention the past week so your usual reports have been delayed. Still, I've been keeping an eye of out for the major players. No activity from BK-201 sorry."

Misaki nodded. "I'm sure we haven't heard the last from him."

"No, I'm sure we haven't." Kanami addressed November now. "I'll let Misaki know when I have an update about your friend's telescope. I'm not giving any promises about being able to repair it, but I will try my best."

* * *

"So, who's this new mystery Contractor on the scene?" November asked.

"To be honest with you, I don't think there is one." Misaki said as the two walked to her Porsche. "You Contractors don't exactly kill for the sake of it, there is usually some gain to be had whether material or monetary. None of the deceased had particularly notable or powerful positions in the workforce and it seems they were all unknown to each other."

"I think you may be a bit biased there, Misaki."

Misaki stopped, looking at November.

"How do you mean?"

"You are approaching this based on the Contractors you have personally dealt with. Contractors who are employed by organisations such as myself and Mr. BK-201."

"Are you saying this could be a Contractor using their powers for personal reasons?"

"The thought has entered my mind."

Misaki thought over what November was hinting at. It still didn't make much sense. Even if it was personal, there would still be some kind of link between all the deaths, and so far neither she nor Harada had been able to identify one.

She would just have to wait and see what Kanami came up with.

* * *

Hei carefully set the new mirror in place. After devouring almost ten bowls of ramen at the noodle stand he figured he should really fix the bathroom. He would hate to upset his landlady. He placed the fragments of the old mirror into the bin, this time very aware of his hand. Picking up the small bin, he returned it to under the kitchen sink. The two bowels November had cleaned still rested on the bench. The other Contractor's company hadn't been as awful as he was expecting, he mused. The MI6 agent was calm, confident and direct - all to be expected from a Contractor. But he was also good-humored, considerate and on the verge of protective - or at least that was what he portrayed his human side to be, Hei thought. And his human side was easy to talk to...he hadn't told the story about Bai's fear of the dark for a long, long time. In fact, only three people knew it. Four now, he reminded himself. He remembered writing to his parents excited about his and his sister's new found pastime. He smiled at the memory, he had been so innocent then, finding happiness in the simplest of things. The next time he had told it, he was as far from innocent as a person could be. He remembered a warm evening, his back resting on a tree as he cradled his sleeping sister in his arms. His jaw tightened at the memory. Amber had joined him that evening, both of them looking at the stars in silence as Bai slept. Amber had told him about her memories of the real stars, she had so many after all, and Hei had felt his mind slipping back into to a place it hadn't occupied in a long time. He'd told her how he and Bai would sneak out at night to their secret place where they could watch the stars. How the lake was so still and dark it was like a mirror capturing the constellations in its depths.

He found November's company elicited a similar feeling from him and it both comforted and terrified him at the same time.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They stopped outside his door. Hei silently removed a knife from the knifeblock. He wasn't expecting anyone. Clasping it behind his back he moved to the door and opened it.

November stood outside, one hand raised in a fist, the other holding several plastic bags.

"I figured I would bring you dinner, I wouldn't want you pulling those stitches especially since our last trip to the hospital was quite eventful."

Hei stared at November. Then down at the bags he carried. It smelt good what ever it was. Hei stepped aside to allow the other to enter.

November's gaze fell to the knife Hei was holding.

"Were you expecting someone else?" November said, half amused.

"Huh? Oh, I was just putting it away." Hei rubbed the back of his head. "You really don't have to do this."

"Nonsense," November said. "Besides, I do have an ulterior motive." November set the bags on the counter.

"Oh, what's that?" Hei said closing the door.

"I want to get to know you better."

Hei let his hand rest on the door handle.

"Why?" He said.

It wasn't quite the answer November had expected. But he supposed it was a fair enough question. Because why would a Foreign Diplomat want to get to know a University Student better?

"Because I find you interesting and I want to explore that."

Hei didn't turn around.

"I also find myself enjoying your company." November finished.

Hei moved away from the door, turning to face November.

"I'm really not all that interesting."

"We'll see about that." November begun unpacking the contents of the bags and Hei knew his stomach was very interested.

Hei moved to collect the bowls November had placed on the counter earlier that day, taking them to the small table. The two sat down.

"Tell me why you came to Japan to study?"

Hei shoved a dumpling in his mouth, partly to give himself time to think, partly to shut his stomach up.

"The University here offers the best subjects on Gate related Astronomics. I couldn't pass up the opportunity." Hei told the other. After Mao had berated him for his so called screw up, he had made sure to familiarize himself with the University of Tokyo's Astronomy curriculum. November asked him about University back in China, favourite subjects, his upcoming subjects, everything. Hei actually found himself enjoying talking about something so unrelated to his current profession. Something he used to stay up reading about as a child. It was as if for a moment he could believe he _was_ Li, the exchange student, who was following his dream. It was a nice feeling, even if it was false.

"What brings you to Japan?" Hei asked the Brit.

November smirked. "It's classified."

Hei smiled. "Tell me what you can."

Hei was impressed with how much November was able to tell without actually telling anything. He actually would make a good diplomat, Hei thought to himself.

November had just finished telling him a funny story from his younger years when he realized how much time had passed. They had finished their meal and what was left was now cold. Hei glanced at the clock. It was almost 10:00pm. He looked back and caught November looking at him with a lazy expression on his face.

"I suppose it's time I bid you goodnight." November rose from his seat. Hei mimicked him but a hand on his shoulder gently pushed him back into his seat. "Don't. Stitches remember."

Hei nodded but started placing empty containers into a bag.

He heard the running of a tap as November cleaned the bowls for a second time that day.

November walked back placing a phone in front of Hei.

"I figured you really should have one of these. Especially with all the trouble you seem to get into."

November paused.

"I would also like you to contact me if you need anything, even if it's just some company. I quite find myself enjoying yours and wouldn't be opposed to doing this again."

Hei looked at the phone in front of him. What it meant and what it meant if he agreed. He knew he should say no, thank the Brit for his kindness, and never see him again. But it seemed as if his tongue wouldn't cooperate. He looked up at the bond staring at him intently. He nodded.

"I think I would like that too," he said quietly.

Hei thought he saw relief in the light blue eyes but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Excellent." The blond moved to the door. "Have a good evening, Li."

"You too...Jack."

The blond grinned.

Hei shut the door behind him. While Hei didn't have anyone he called a friend maybe Li could have that, even if it was just for a short time.

* * *

November really hadn't intended to go back around to Li's place that evening but he figured he should really drop a phone off to the student. How else was he to contact the younger man when the telescope was fixed? Other than randomly turning up at his address, or workplace, which he seemed to be doing a fair bit recently. Besides, the student really should have a phone. He was in a new country with no friends or relatives and he ought to be able contact someone should he need help.

And you've made sure you're that person, he thought to himself.

When he returned to Hotel, he didn't switch any lights on. Lest he disturb the other occupants. However, inexplicably, when he entered a small lamp by the desk flickered on.

"A bit dramatic, April." November said as April spun herself to face him, sitting in a high-backed office chair.

"And where have you been?" April asked, her fingers laced together.

November frowned. "Working," he replied.

"Ah, is that what the kids are calling it these days?" April smirked.

"No, that's what I'm calling it and I seem to be the only one doing it."

April's smile widened and November knew he was doomed.

"Doing it, or doing Li?"

November most certainly didn't blush. No, he most definitely didn't. His face was flushed with anger at the blue-haired woman's proposition. He walked past her, best he ignore the crazy woman and her deluded thoughts.

"Aw, come on November, tell me the goss! Did you snog him? Didn't it go well? Hey, I can give you some tips-"

November slammed to door to his room closed.

* * *

Misaki yawned, reaching over to her beside table to grab the buzzing phone.

"Kirihara," she answered.

"Misaki, it's me," she heard Kanami's voice on the other end. "Sorry to call you so late but I have something."

Misaki was now wide awake. "Tell me."

"I ran the analysis for the past few weeks. I got a hit. We've had a fair amount of star activity lately so I didn't think anything of it. Plus, Otsuka usually compiles anything she thinks would be of relevance to Section 4. Either that, or you come banging on my door."

Misaki rolled her eyes.

"You know, I think I almost heard you roll your eyes." Kanami said.

Sometimes it scared Misaki how well her friend knew her.

"What did you find?"

"We've had recent activity from an otherwise usually stable star."

"Which one?"

"Messier Code XQ-381."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So another fairly quick update :) Hopefully that is ok! I'm wanting to smash my foundation out so I can start getting to the good bits :P
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who read, kudoed (? is that a word?), commented, bookmarked, and/or subscribed! You guys rock and you set motivation to max ;)
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ;)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for the delayed update! Hopefully the chapter doesn't disappoint :)
> 
> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

"XQ-381." Huang said, face buried in his newspaper. "That's the Contractor the Syndicate wants us to locate." He closed the paper. "The Syndicate has a mole in the local police station and they are thinking this might be our guy."

Huang placed the newspaper down on the bench beside him, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. He tapped the box letting one slip between his fingers. Hei casually picked the newspaper up, allowing it to fall open.

"Ikumo Fujimura, reported missing by his wife three weeks ago." Huang continued. "Syndicate reckons XQ-381 has been active since his disappearance."

Hei looked down at the newspaper in his lap. A photo of Ikumo Fujimura stared up at him attached with a paperclip to a file Hei imagined contained all the Syndicate's information on the man.

"His wife is originally from the UK and doesn't have any family or connections over here, other than Fujimura and their kid. You'll be attending their home at the request of her family overseas to help her with whatever she needs while her husband is missing. You are to get information on Fujimura, his whereabouts, and any affiliations he might have."

"Why is the Syndicate so eager to find this Contractor?" Mao asked.

"Beats me, I don't get to ask questions." Huang snapped. "But I do know this, his power is believed to be oxygen manipulation. Doesn't take much imagination to think up why the Syndicate wants him. It's the same reason they employ all you freaks."

"Huang!" Mao gave Huang a disgusted look.

"What? You think I'm wrong? What use do normal people have for a person whose only skills are in killing and a talking cat?" Huang blew smoke at Mao. "And don't get me started on useless Dolls."

"Is that all?" Hei asked.

Huang stood. "You start at the Fujimura residence tomorrow. Details are in the file. You'll report to Mao and he'll get the information to me. Yin will be searching too." Huang dropped his cigarette to the ground, squashing it beneath his shoe.

Hei watched Huang walk away through the corner of his eye. Mao glared after him angrily.

"Where's Yin?" Hei asked Mao.

"Probably already searching for Fujimura." Mao licked a paw. "I'm guessing that the Syndicate is wanting to get this guy before anyone else does. I imagine that the prospect of a Contractor capable of seemingly nonviolent assassination is very appealing to them." Mao looked up a Hei. "It's not like you're the most subtle at the best of times."

Hei grimaced. There was some truth to Mao's words. He stood, tucking the newspaper under his arm.

"Hei," Mao said. "What's going on between you and that MI6 agent?"

Hei stopped, not looking back.

"I saw him leaving your apartment last night...looked like he stayed a while," Mao said uncertainly. He really didn't want to anger the Black Reaper. For someone who was meant to be a cool, calm professional; Hei certainly had a temper. An unpredictable temper.

"What's that saying again, Mao? Curiosity killed the cat?"

Mao gulped. He _was_ curious dammit. Hei watching was one of his favourite pastimes. Usually, he would be content to sit back and watch whatever was going on unfold but ever since the Havoc incident the Syndicate wanted a closer eye kept on the Black Reaper and Mao shouldered that unfortunate task.

Mao eyed the opening of a drain at the edge of the park. If his next question wasn't well received he would be sprinting to it as fast as his four legs could carry him.

"Spit it out, Mao."

Mao looked up. Hei had turned and was now staring down at him with an expression he couldn't read, but he doubted it was good. Mao felt himself beginning to sweat.

"Are you two...seeing each other?" Mao prepared to run as he saw something flicker over Hei's face.

Hei started laughing quietly and it chilled Mao to the bone. It was completely cheerless and didn't reach his eyes.

"Contractors don't have attachments, Mao."

With that said, deadly clear, Hei also left the park.

But neither of you strike me as typical Contractors, Mao thought to himself. He could understand Hei having to act civil towards the other Contractor, he had a secret identity to protect after all. But he couldn't for the life of him understand why the British Contractor seemed to be on the verge of stalking the younger man. Mao could understand him walking Hei back to his apartment and apologizing for the incident with the Romanians. But what was his reason for coming back again? He didn't think the MI6 agent suspected Hei to be BK-201, he doubted the Brit would have looked so damn satisfied as he left the apartment of Li Shengshun had he discovered that piece of information. No, the MI6 agent almost had that spring in his step that Mao liked to think he himself frequently had when he was human. He shook his head violently, that was not something he wanted to think about. He already felt dirty enough implying it to Hei. Whatever the Black Reaper was doing, he just hoped it didn't get them all killed.

* * *

Misaki rubbed her temples. Before her were two open files, one from Sergeant Harada and one from Astronomics. She had already poured over the report sent by Kanami. Messier Code XQ-381 had appeared approximately one year ago and had been stable, showing minimal activity, up until three weeks ago. And it was about three weeks ago that Sergeant Harada had his first body. It was also three weeks ago that Ikumo Fujimura disappeared.

She huffed out a breath. In her line of work, coincidence was rare. Opening her laptop she searched Fujimura. The first file was the missing person report taken from Fujimura's wife. She was about to exit the report when the wife's name caught her attention. Olivia Fujimura. A foreign name. She clicked on it. It turned out that Olivia was originally from the UK having moved to Japan with her new husband and their child only a year ago...and it was one year ago that XQ-381 appeared. The immigration documents stated that the three had moved to Japan for Ikumo's work and Misaki was willing to believe that...though, she wasn't sold of the story that Ikumo was a financial advisor for a company. She rubbed her temples again. So who did Ikumo Fujimura work for? An independent organization such as the criminal syndicate BK-201 served? Or was it much less elusive than that...was it possible he worked for MI6?

She grit her teeth. Had November 11 being trying to lead her astray when he said said she was looking at the case the wrong way...was it possible Ikumo also worked for MI6? But that still didn't make sense. There was still no apparent link between the deaths that would indicate an organization was behind the killings. While she didn't fully trust the British Contractor she did have to concede he made a valid point. Misaki picked up her phone. She figured she best start at the beginning and call Olivia Fujimura.

* * *

November was feeling a little put out if he were being honest with himself. He hadn't heard from Li since he had last seen him and it was causing him to check his phone every minute like some anxious boy with his first crush. To make matters worse, when he had finally decided that he should just be the bigger man and ring Li, Chief Kirihara had called him in a fluster saying she needed to urgently interview a person and they didn't speak a lick of Japanese. Which was why he now sat in the passenger seat of the blue Porsche once again.

"Tell me again why Section 4 doesn't have access to a fluent English speaker?" November asked.

"I already told you. We do. But they need to be booked at least a week in advance and I wasn't expecting to need one." Misaki looked over at November. "I'm sorry, did you have somewhere to be?"

Misaki didn't sound sorry at all to November.

"I could have."

Misaki thought the Contractor was almost pouting as he stared out the window. And Misaki thought it looked ridiculous on an agent with his reputation.

She steered the sportscar down a small side street. The Fujimura residence was located in a modest part of town, out of the way from the main highway. She counted the house numbers as she drove.

"We're here." She said, bringing the car to a stop. She turned to November. "Olivia is the wife of the missing Ikumo Fujimura, who I suspect is also XQ-381. She reported him missing three weeks ago and since then we've had bodies showing up. I want you to question her about his disappearance and any usual behaviour leading up to it."

"Unusual behaviour such as glowing?" November quipped.

Misaki thrust a small electronic device at November's chest.

"And I want you to record."

November rolled his eyes at the police chief.

"Honestly, one would think you didn't trust me."

"I don't."

Misaki exited the car, November following her pocketing the small recorder.

* * *

Hei wiped the desk down as he finished cleaning the small office. He'd already extracted the data from the desktop computer for Mao to go through and so far he had found nothing else that could give him information on Ikumo. He exited the office into a narrow hallway. A photo frame hanging on the wall caught his attention. Walking over, he pulled it down looking at it closely. It was a professional photograph of Ikumo and his family. Hei recognized the woman as Olivia who had welcomed him to her home that morning. But to his surprise he also recognized the small child that sat between them.

Hearing muffled voices coming from the living room, he hastily hung the photo back up. Knocking gently on the door to the room, he entered.

"Mrs. Fujimura, I've finished-"

He broke off abruptly when he saw just who Olivia was speaking to.

Misaki stared back at him with a surprised expression on her face while November raised an eyebrow at him.

Hei bowed his head. "I'm so sorry for intruding, Mrs. Fujimura."

"It's fine," Olivia smiled back sadly. "Ben will be home from school soon, would you mind giving him a hand with his homework? Ikumo does that...I'm not fluent in Japanese as you know."

"Of course." Hei smiled at her. He turned to Misaki, this time repeating his apology in Japanese.

"Li...I didn't know you could speak English..." Misaki frowned.

"Oh, I learnt in school. I suppose it's come in handy."

Hei looked up as he heard the front door swing open, followed by quick footsteps.

"Mum, I'm..."

The voice trailed off as the boy saw that the room was occupied with strangers. Olivia stood, going to the boy. "Please excuse me, I'll set Ben up for his homework." She smiled, leaving the room.

Hei didn't miss how Ben looked over his shoulder staring at him curiously.

The silence was interrupted by the ringing of Misaki's phone. She looked at the caller ID.

"I better take this call outside." She said to November, walking to the door.

Hei was now very aware that it was him and November alone in the room.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Hei looked over at the blond now smirking at him and he felt the corner of his mouth pulling into a half smile against his will.

"I guess you could say that."

"What time will you finish helping with homework?" November asked.

"I'm not sure...it depends if Mrs. Fujimura would like me to help her with anything else."

November nodded to himself. "Do you have your phone on you this time?" Hei nodded. "Give me a call when you finish, I was thinking of visiting that little bar near your place again."

Hei was about to respond when the front door clicked open again.

"We need to go, Matsumoto might have a lead." Misaki called to November. "Li, would you mind giving Olivia our apologies?"

November glared at Misaki over his shoulder as Hei nodded. This was the second time the police chief had inadvertently interfered with his plans to see Li again. He pushed himself up from the couch.

"It was nice to see you again, Li," November said respectfully to the dark-haired man. Hopefully he would be seeing him again. Soon.

* * *

"Matsumoto, what have you got?"

After dropping November 11 back at the police station, Misaki had driven straight to where the other Section 4 officer was investigating one of the deaths. The victim was a debt collector who doctors stated suffered an acute medical episode resulting from low blood oxygen. He was the third death on Harada's file.

"Chief, you had better take a look at this." Matsumoto handed her what looked like a list of appointments from the day the debt collector died. "Look at his 12pm appointment."

"Fujimura..." Misaki said.

Matsumoto nodded. "And he didn't make his 12:30pm appointment..."

"Where's the manager?"

"Just in the office, waiting for you."

Misaki nodded, stepping into the office.

"I'm Section 4 Chief, Misaki Kirihara. I need to ask you some questions in relation to the death of Kaito Takeuchi."

The manager look baffled. "I don't understand why the police are investigating this now. It happened weeks ago and it was a freak medical episode!"

"I understand. But I would appreciate you answering to the best of your ability regardless."

The manager nodded slowly, still looking confused.

"Do you recall the appointment Kaito was with when he suffered the medical episode?"

The manager nodded, this time more confidently. "I do, I can't remember the name though. We have a lot of appointments."

Misaki opened her folder, pulling out a photo of Ikumo Fujimura. "Was this the person?"

"No."

Misaki and Matsumoto exchanged surprised looks.

"Are you certain?" Misaki asked.

"Absolutely. It was a lady. I can't forget, she ran out to me screaming to call an ambulance," the manager said. "I think her poor kid saw Kaito...pass away. The boy was almost hyperventilating when I got to the room."

"Did you see this man at all that day?" Misaki asked, holding up the photo again.

The manager shook his head. "Look, I don't really keep track of who comes in and out of the building. I only remember her and the kid because of what happened."

Misaki placed the photo back in her folder. "I'll need access to your records on Fujimura."

"Of course," the manger said. "...you're not thinking Kaito was murdered are you?"

Misaki stayed quiet. That was exactly what she was thinking.

* * *

Hei pulled a chair up next to the desk Ben sat at. The child hadn't said a word to him yet. After Misaki and November had left, Olivia had confided in him that her husband had left three weeks ago and Ben was still angry, confused and upset. Hei sympathized with the child, he imagined it would have been difficult on both Olivia and Ben when Ikumo became a Contractor. He remembered feeling the same when Bai had changed, going from his loving sister to someone so cold and distant that he could barely recognize her. And he still felt angry, confused and upset. Angry at Amber's betrayal, confused by what transpired South America, and upset that it seemed like he got what he had wished for. There were times when Bai had seemed so cruel and uncaring that he wished she would disappear. Now he loathed himself for ever thinking those thoughts.

"It must he hard on you," he said to Ben who was spinning a pencil on the desk.

The pencil stopped spinning.

"What would you know?" The child replied not looking at him.

Hei smiled. "Probably more than you think. It's difficult when someone you love disappears, trust me, I know."

Ben now turned to look at him.

"I'm happy he's gone."

Hei's smile turned sad. He could understand that too.

"He hurt my Mum."

Now it was Hei's turn to look at Ben.

"I'm happy he's gone and I don't want him to ever come back." Ben had a hard expression on his face that shouldn't have been on a child of his age. Ben begun his homework and Hei supposed that was the end of their conversation. Something about what the child had said it made Hei uneasy but he couldn't pin point if it was what he said or how he said it.

It wasn't long before Ben was putting his books away having finished his homework, not once asking Hei for help. Hei left him to it, walking into the living room to see Olivia. He found her sitting in a chair dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. She looked up surprised as Hei entered.

"Ben's finished his homework, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Olivia shook her head at him. "No, no you get home. Thank-you so much."

Hei could feel his unease slowly growing stronger. Something was off but he didn't know what. He grabbed his coat, pulling it on before he stepped out the front door onto the street. The street was quiet save for the soft drone of traffic on the highway nearby. He looked around, the street was almost deserted. Starting to walk, he pulled out the phone November had given him. Should he call the MI6 agent? He had indicated that he would like to see the other again...and he had enjoyed the other's company. Besides, there was nothing quite like hiding in plain sight. He highly doubted the other Contractor would ever suspect Li Shengshun to be the feared Black Reaper when he voluntarily accepted his company.

He scrolled through the contacts on the phone. He was expecting to just find Jack Simon's name so was very surprised when he saw a second contact - April. There was a note next to her name which read 'for emergencies if you can't contact me'. He didn't quite get time to mull over why November had put April as a emergency contact for him. A scream came from the house he had just left. Hei swung around racing back to the Fujimura house, shoving the phone back in his pocket.

He ripped the door open, rapidly checking all the rooms. Had Ikumo returned? He threw the door to a bedroom open and stopped. He saw Ben sitting on his bed breathing deeply from an inhaler. Olivia was kneeling on the ground, sobbing. Between them a man lay face down, unmoving.

Olivia turned to look back at Hei, her eyes bloodshot. "Get out!" She screamed, her voiced raspy from crying.

Hei looked over at Ben who had now put the inhaler away. The child stared down at the body before him, a blank expression on his face.

"Would you please just leave before he hurts you!" Olivia yelled again.

"No," Ben said quietly. Olivia's head snapped back to the child sitting on the bed. "Li is a kind person. He can stay."

Hei felt his unease slowly sink into his stomach.

"You killed your father."

The boy nodded at him like it was a simple matter of fact.

"Why the others?"

Ben tilted his head to the side as if Hei had asked a silly question. "They threatened my Mum."

Hei heard Olivia sob harder. "You're a Contractor," Hei said.

"Is that what I am?" Ben replied, emotionless.

Hei felt numb now. So XQ-381 was a small child. A small child whose life and his family's had been turned upside down by the Gates.

He felt a hand grip his leg. "Please. Please, don't tell anyone." He looked down into Olivia's tear stained eyes. "I can't loose him."

Hei felt his mouth go dry. He knew from experience that the Syndicate wouldn't care that Ben was a 10 year old child. They would only care about what he could do for them and how they could mold him to achieve that. And he also knew that if they took him, then Olivia would never see her son again, and Ben's life would become one mission after another until he died. He bit his tongue, he wanted to damn the Syndicate to Hell. He looked away from Olivia's desperate eyes, they were too familiar.

Determined, he locked eyes with Ben. "Who is he?" He motioned to the body on the ground.

Ben didn't look down. "I don't know, but he is the third one who tried to make me go with them. But I didn't want to."

Hei nodded, crouching down in front of Ben. "I know you will understand what I have to say because of what you are." He narrowed his eyes. "If you continue to do this, then more will come. They won't stop until they have you or you are dead. They'll murder your mother if that is what it takes or hold her hostage to control you. If you truly want to protect her, then you will do as I say."

* * *

November grinned when he saw the Caller ID appear on his phone. Looks like the day wouldn't turn out so bad after all. He flipped it open, answering.

"Li, I assume you have finished for the evening."

"Jack...I need your help." Hei's uncertain voice came over the line.

November gripped the phone tighter. "What's wrong? Are you in danger? Are you hurt?"

"No, but please can you come to the Fujimura house...I promise I'll explain when you're here."

"Li, are you definitely alright?" November said, voice laced with concern.

"Yes, just...please Jack, will you come?"

"Give me 15 minutes." He heard Li thank him and hangup. He pulled his jacket on, yelling out to April that he was off to get more smokes. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a bad feeling about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to split this chapter into two, before I blew the word count out of the sky. So sorry for the cliffhanger :'(
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Hei ended the call. This probably isn't the kind of emergency Mr. Simon was expecting, he thought. But he didn't have anyone else he could call and he couldn't let the child fall into the Syndicate's hands, not after what he had gone through. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. Though, it appeared the Syndicate weren't the only ones searching for XQ-381.

Kneeling down, he rolled the body over. The dead man wore a weapon harness and holster. Definitely not the average burglar.

Looking around the room he took in the sobbing woman, emotionless child and dead body. Just what was he going say to the British Contractor to when he arrived? Not to mention asking him for help to hide a 10 year old murderer and his complicit mother. Not only that, how on earth was he going to explain his involvement?

But he needed November to help him, he was the only one that was in a position to. He didn't doubt that the British Contractor would have ways to get the two back to the UK while also covering up any potential police suspicion. But would he be willing to? The Brit had seemed genuinely fond of the child he called his nephew, who Hei knew to be the MI6 team's Doll, if the conversation they'd had over dinner was anything to go by. Hei guessed it was time to see if November's seemingly caring personality was a facade after all.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to think. He needed more information if he were to get them, and also himself, out of this mess. He looked to Olivia.

"You've got 15 minutes to tell me what is going on. The more you tell me the greater the chance that I can help you. So I suggest you start talking now."

Olivia looked like she was about to question Hei but thought better of it. She obviously realized she really didn't have any other option than to trust the foreign man who seemed to know more about her son than she did. Wiping a tear away, she begun.

"It all started a year ago. Ben started...changing...he went from such a happy boy to one that seemed indifferent to everyone he cared about. He started getting in trouble at school for refusing to participate in classes and sport." Olivia took a deep breath. "One day we, Ikumo and I, were called to the school to discuss Ben's issues. Ben came with us. The head teacher wanted him sent to a boarding school, he thought that problems between Ikumo and I were causing his poor performance..."

"I didn't want to go," Ben said from the bed. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut against the memory. Hei could guess what had happened.

"We were both terrified," Olivia continued. "It didn't happen again...but our marriage was on the rocks and neither of us knew what was going on. We decided to move to Japan for a fresh start but it just caused us more stress. Moving had financially crippled us and we had to take out so many loans we couldn't afford. Ikumo and I had a big argument one night and he, he hit me...Ben saw the whole thing and before I knew it Ikumo wasn't breathing..."

"Where's the body?" Hei asked.

Olivia looked to the floor. "The chest freezer in the basement. I didn't know what to do."

Great, Hei thought miserably, one more loose end to tie up.

"What's going to happen?" Olivia asked, voice wavering.

Hei was silent for a while. "I have a friend coming who I am hoping will be able to get you both out of the country." Olivia moved to speak but Hei silenced her. "There will be more of them coming", he indicated to the body on the floor, "you have to leave."

"Who are you...?" Olivia whispered.

Hei gave her a harsh look. "To you, I am Li Shengshun who heard you scream as I was leaving. Who listened to you beg for help to leave the country. Who is trying to help you."

Olivia nodded at him, obviously petrified.

"If you repeat anything more than that," Hei continued, "then you don't want to know who I really am."

Hei walked over to Ben, staring down at him. "You need to know something. People will find you if you use your powers and if they do they'll destroy your life. You're a Contractor so I expect you to make the rational decision. Use your powers and you will die."

Ben looked up at Hei with a hint of fear in his eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

"So you don't suffer the same fate I did."

Hei heard a car screeching to a halt outside. Their fate would be decided soon.

* * *

November glanced over his shoulder as he saw a brief flash of light. Damn speed cameras. And damn Li. There were very few people who could cause November to feel concern. Well, only two really - April and July. But despite only having known Li for a short time, the dark-haired exchange student seemed capable of eliciting the same emotion from the MI6 agent. November grit his teeth. It wasn't a foreign feeling but it still unsettled him nonetheless. He laughed at himself. Here he was going out of his way because he thought someone was attractive and interesting. How illogical. But it's not just that, his mind whispered at him. There was something about Li that he just couldn't look away from. The dark-haired man had an innate charisma and November just couldn't help but be drawn to it.

Effortlessly over-taking several slower vehicles, November found himself musing over the younger man again. He couldn't deny that Li was physically attractive. Beautiful would be a more apt word in his opinion, with his lithe build, reminiscent of a dancer, jet black hair, and midnight blue eyes. Yes, beautiful was definitely the best fitting word for Li. But that wasn't even half of November's problem when it came to the Chinese exchange student. He found the student to be an enigma, a puzzle that seemed easy to put together at first glance but the pieces refused to fit. And November wanted to solve it, thus allowing himself to fall deeper down the rabbit hole. It was a toxic combination for the Brit.

He swung the sleek sedan down the side street. The feeling of something dangerous nagged at him, as if hovering at the edge of his vision and disappearing when he tried to look. Yet another feeling he was beginning to associate with the dark-haired man. Reaching into the glove box, he retrieved a small silver handgun, concealing it in his breast pocket. April had forced him to get it after the fiasco with December. He didn't like firearms but the blue-haired woman had twisted his arm that if he died, there would be no one to take care of her and July. He had been about inform her that she was also a responsible adult but the words had died on his tongue. The words responsible and April didn't belong together.

Carefully swinging the front door open, November entered the house. Seeing Li coming down the stairs, he felt tension he hadn't known he had been holding melt away. He thought he saw Li mirror him.

"Li, what's going on?" November asked, sweeping his eyes over the other man.

"Jack, I-"

The Chinese man broke off instead grabbing November's hand, leading him up the stairs. November allowed himself to be lead to a closed door. The student gently swung it open, releasing his hand. November entered the room. He snapped his attention back to Hei.

"Li. What is going on?" November said with an urgency that was uncharacteristic of him. Olivia sat on the bed with Ben in her arms. And there was an unmoving body on the floor.

Hei took a deep breath. What he said next would determine whether November would help him or turn them all into the police.

"There was something I didn't tell you about my sister," Hei began. "The reason why I haven't seen her in so long."

November felt rooted to the spot. He eyed the body on the floor. The dangerous feeling was nagging at him again. Telling him something wasn't right. "Go on."

"You're going to think I'm crazy." Hei gave him a soft smile.

November hadn't quite decided on that yet. They were, after all, standing in a room together with what he suspected to be some unconscious intruder.

"I'm an open minded person." November said, presenting his typical cool, calm attitude. But internally, his mind was reeling. What on earth had the student involved himself with?

Hei exhaled. He needed to get November's sympathy and for that he had to tell the other Contractor why this was so important to him. And he also needed to tell him he knew Ben was a Contractor without actually saying he knew Ben was a Contractor. It seemed the only way to achieve those things was to give the Brit a glimpse into his own wretched past.

"When the Gates appeared, my sister...changed. I didn't notice it a first but she became distant. She would sleep more, and grew disinterested by things she once loved."

November felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew where this was going.

"She withdrew into herself more and more, until I felt like I barely knew her."

"Li..." November was reminded of the same sad reflection he had seen as he drove the younger man to the hospital. The look of grief mixed with hopelessness.

"One day a few of the older kids from the boarding school cornered me." The dark-haired man seemed to draw into himself at the memory. "I was so scared."

November felt the sudden urge to reach out and comfort the obviously hurting man. The way Li's voice grew quiet and his gaze distant pierced November's core. But he stayed where he was, listening to the other intently.

"I don't remember what happened but I do remember that they were all suddenly gone." Hei looked up at November. "The only other person in the room was my sister. Maybe I imagined it from shock but she almost seemed to glow. I've never seen anything else like that...until I met Ben."

November felt adrenaline flood his veins at the other's words. The kid was XQ-381. And the body on the ground was his latest victim. Olivia screamed as November drew the handgun from his jacket, aiming it at Ben.

"Jack!"

November thrust his arm out at the dark-haired man, pushing Hei behind him. Olivia tried to curl herself around Ben. November squeezed the trigger as he saw red pin pricks of light form in the child's eyes and a blue glow envelope his body.

"Jack stop!"

Ringing filled his ears as the gun discharged. November was stunned, his grip loosening on the gun. Hei stood before him, between himself and Ben, slim hands around November's wrist as he pushed the firearm up to the ceiling. November let the gun fall to the ground.

"Please, please don't." The Hei rasped out. "He's just a kid."

November stared into the midnight blue eyes, filled with desperation.

"I need you to help them so the same thing that happened to my sister doesn't happen to Ben. Please Jack, can you get them back to the UK?"

"I could've shot you..." November breathed out as Hei released his wrist.

"It wouldn't be the first time you've almost killed me," Hei gave the Brit a weak smile.

November let what the other had said catch up with him. He wanted to ask what had happened to Li's sister. Had she been killed? It wouldn't be unlikely...people feared what they couldn't explain and there had been a literal witch hunt in some countries when the Gates appeared. But there wasn't time to ask. Looking into the dark blue eyes that pleaded with him he made his decision. The sound of the gun firing would be bringing the police sooner or later, if he was going to help, he had to act now.

Kneeling, he retrieved the handgun from the floor, Ben eyeing him warily from his position on the bed. Hei saw the blond start wiping the firearm down with a small cloth.

"I will help," November said to dark-haired man, "on two conditions."

Holding the gun with the cloth, November moved to the body on the floor.

"One, you are going to explain to me _exactly_ what happened to your sister and why, at complete disregard for your _own_ safety, you thought to help an obviously _dangerous_ child you barely have _any_ connection with."

Hei moved to speak but November held up a hand silencing him.

"Two." Prying the dead man's fingers open, November positioned the gun in his hand. "You are going to leave right now."

"What are you going to do?"

"You will just have to trust me, won't you. You wanted my help and I am giving it."

Hei looked over November, an unreadable expression on the blond's face. That was his only option now, wasn't it...to trust November. He nodded slowly, pulling his green jacket tighter around him. Saying his goodbyes to Olivia and Ben, Hei left the small house.

November watched the Chinese man leave. They would both be having a long talk after this. Turning back to the body on the floor, he crouched down to it once more. Gripping the arm of the dead man, November activated his powers, freezing the body solid.

He heard the woman gasp from where she sat on the bed. Ben, however, just looked at him questioningly.

"So you're a Contractor," November said, lighting a cigarette. "Tell me, what despicable vice do have as your remuneration?"

"I don't understand," said Ben.

November took a drag of the cigarette, trying not to choke. That would be embarrassing.

"I take it when you killed our mystery man on the floor there was something you felt compelled to do afterwards. Something almost obsessive."

Ben pulled an inhaler out of his pocket, turning it in his hands.

"Ah, how fitting. The one with the power to deprive their victims of oxygen can't seem to get enough himself." November smirked at the child.

"You're a Contractor too."

"That's right." November grew serious. "And you would do well never to mention it again. If the police don't arrive soon then I will be calling them."

Olivia looked terrified. "You said-"

"Yes, it's very fortunate that I accidentally left my wallet here when I was questioning you earlier. Had I not, this intruder may well have shot you and your son. I suggest you both start packing your bags, it would be unfortunate if you missed your flight."

* * *

Misaki took in the scene before her. It had been a long day and she had been looking forward to going home. But duty called and she now found herself back once more at the Fujimura residence with November 11. Again.

Examining the bullet hole in the ceiling she asked November what had happened. The Contractor explained to her that his wallet must have fallen out when they had visited Olivia earlier that day. He'd swung by on his way home to see if it was there.

"I guess you could say it's a good result for both of us." November pulled his wallet out his breast pocket, showing it to Misaki. "I didn't have to cancel any bank cards and Olivia and her son weren't murdered."

Misaki cringed at how blase the Contractor was.

"Did you really have to kill him? He could have provided vital information to this case."

November shrugged, unfazed. "Well, he did have a gun, Section Chief Kirihara." November smirked at her. "I thought a Police Chief would be well versed with the dangers of firearms. Would you prefer I had been shot?"

Misaki's face reddened. "Do you have any idea who this person could be?"

November stared down at the frozen body. "In light of the current circumstances I would consider the Police aren't the only ones looking for XQ-381."

"You think an external party is trying to track him down?"

November nodded. "If our suspicions are correct about Ikumo Fujimura then I would be willing to bet certain criminal organisations would pay him good money for his services. In a way you could say he is being head hunted. Tell me, how did your lead go this afternoon?"

"Fujimura has been in a lot of financial stress recently, so much that the debt collectors have been onto him, well, onto his wife really since he has disappeared. In fact, the debt collector died quite suddenly while in an appointment with Olivia."

"Ah, so you think Ikumo is still trying to protect his family?"

Misaki rubbed her chin. "I'm not sure about that...something still doesn't add up."

A gentle knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Misaki opened it coming face to face with Olivia who held a suitcase and carrybag. Misaki looked at November in askance.

"I offered to give Mrs. Fujimura a lift to the airport. I have my car here after all."

"But-" Misaki began.

"She wants to return to the UK and I have offered to assist her where I can. Understandably, she doesn't wish to stay in a country where she can barely speak the language and now has no husband to help her. This evening's events have only expedited this."

Misaki didn't like it but she also couldn't argue. Ultimately, there was no reason for Misaki to object to Olivia and Ben returning to the UK. She watched November escort the two from the house. Great, she thought looking down at the frozen corpse, another for the morgue.

* * *

Hei watched the house from his vantage point across the road, watching as November helped Olivia and Ben into his car. He had left like the Brit had instructed him to, well, at least Li Shengshun had left. Now dressed in his dark fatigues and long coat, Hei blended into the shadows by a dead streetlight. He was impressed that the Brit had managed to get the young Contractor and his mother out of the house. When Hei had seen the blue Porsche pull up, he thought the MI6 agent had decided to turn the two in. Obviously, Hei had underestimated November.

Feeling relieved that the blond had come through for him, he watched as two police officers carried a body out from within the house. He just hoped that it was the man Ben had killed and not the body of the meant-to-be-missing Ikumo Fujimura...who he now knew to be not so missing in the chest freezer in the basement. This was going to be a long night.

The house plunged into darkness as the lights were switched off. Hei saw the front door open and close as Misaki Kirihara stepped out, walking to her car. Hearing the engine come to life, he watched as the tail lights of the Porsche faded into the distance.

Running stealthily to the front door, he unlocked it with the spare key Olivia had given him. Walking quickly and carefully through the house, he found himself in the basement seeing the freezer that held Ikumo's body.

Here I am living up to my name, he thought dryly, the Reaper collecting the dead. He opened the lid, looking inside. Ikumo's body was very much intact, which was a fortunate result of Ben's powers. Fortunate for Hei, because if his plan were to work, he needed it to look like Ikumo was murdered for not joining the Syndicate, which ironically could have been Hei's task anyway had Ikumo actually been XQ-381.

Grasping the body, Hei pulled it from the freezer, heaving it over his shoulder. He planned to dump the body in one of the nearby storm water drains after he carved it up a bit. It was actually quite lucky that Olivia had placed Ikumo's body in the freezer...it would be more convincing to the police that Ikumo had only recently died.

It would probably be quite suspicious if they found a three week old rotting corpse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter :) Next should be out in a week.
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ;)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, feedback, constructive criticism is all greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Water seeped into Hei's shoes as he dragged the body deeper into the drain. He wasn't looking forward to what he would have to do next. Despite his profession, Hei didn't derive any crude satisfaction from hurting or killing, unlike some other humans he had met during his time with the Syndicate. No, to Hei it had been something he had to do in order to protect Bai. In order to stay with her. And now it was what he had to keep doing if he were ever to find out what happened to his sister. 

He allowed the body to slump against the wall of the drain. Removing his knife from its sheath, he prepared himself for what he was about to do. Ikumo had been dead for weeks and while his stay in the refrigerator had preserved him, Hei knew from experience that dead men didn't quite bleed like the living. He would have to make this messy. 

Raising the knife he begun, the water around his ankles slowly changing colour as his blade cut into the stone cold flesh. 

The body was barely recognizable as Ikumo Fujimura when he finished, allowing it to fall down into the now red water with a splash. He wiped his knife on the leg of his pants. Luckily for him his clothing was dark and he doubted anyone would see the slight red sheen to his clothes. He turned to leave, he had to get out of here and get cleaned up.

Making his way toward the entrance of the drain something caught his eye. A blue ghostly apparition seemed to float just above the water. It stared back at him unconcerned that it had been noticed.

"Yin..."

The Spectre sunk into the water, dissipating as Hei whispered the Doll's name. 

With a renewed sense of urgency, Hei sprinted through the stale water. How could he have been so careless? He knew Yin was searching for Fujimura! Maybe the Doll hadn't seen who it was he had just carved up...but that wouldn't matter, not when the Syndicate had a mole in the police station who would be able to report whose body was found in the drain. He had to get to the tobacco store and fast. 

* * *

If it were under better circumstances, Hei would be congratulating himself for getting to the tobacco store in record time. Panting in the doorway to the small room where Yin stayed, Hei saw the Doll turn her attention to him.

"Hei."

He closed the door behind him, walking over to Yin.

"What did you see?"

The Doll stayed quiet. Hei figured his question hadn't been specific enough. 

"Did you see who I had in the drain?"

The Doll nodded, her sightless eyes fixed to the floor.

"Who was it?"

"Fujimura. Ikumo." Yin answered. 

"Have you told Huang or Mao?"

This time the Doll shook her head.

"Don't."

The Doll tilted her head toward him.

"Don't tell Huang or Mao."

Yin seemed to silently consider him for a moment before nodding. Hei felt relieved. He wasn't sure he would be able to count on the Doll to listen to him after the trouble he had got her in when he took off with Havoc. Either Yin didn't hold a grudge about it or was just plain obedient. Whichever it was, Hei was thankful. With that sorted he begun removing his coat and weapon harness, changing back into his civilian clothing. Stuffing all his Black Reaper kit into his dufflebag, he slid it under Yin's bed before turning to leave. 

"Hei."

He looked over his shoulder as Yin called out to him and noticed her feet were still in the basin of water by the bed.

"November 11 is on his way to your apartment."

* * *

Hei slowed to a stop as he turned onto his street, breathing out a sigh of relief. He couldn't see the MI6 agent's car anywhere so he must have beaten the other Contractor back. Taking the stairs two at a time he rushed up to his apartment. November 11 would be expecting him to have been home for a decent amount of time. Quickly unlocking the front door, Hei stepped inside. 

"I figured I should be the one to surprise you for once," November said calmly. 

Hei almost jumped out of his skin when he turned on the light, seeing the MI6 agent sitting calmly at the small table where they had shared dinner not too long ago. 

"I wasn't expecting to be kept waiting so long," November continued.

Hei swallowed as the other Contractor rose from his seat, coming to stand in front of him. Fight and Flight warred inside Hei as the Brit stared down at him. He knew that November was really only half a head taller, but this close it seemed like the blond towered over him. Neither of the instincts won. Hei was frozen to the spot when he felt a strong arm brush against his side and November leant in toward him.

There was a loud click as November pushed the door closed behind Hei.

"I would prefer that your neighbours weren't privy to the conversation we are about to have."

November walked back to the table taking a seat once more. Hei followed him over cautiously, also taking a seat.

"Why are you only getting back now?" November asked, getting straight to the point.

"I took the long way home," Hei answered. "I felt anxious and thought the walk would help."

November eyed him critically from across the table. "I don't know whether you are brave or very, very stupid."

Hei felt taken a back by the blond's harsh words.

"First, you almost get shot by trying to pull an elaborate stunt, while _injured_ I might add, to take out an unknown hostile person when I recall very clearly telling you to run."

Hei winced at the British Contractor's tone. He sounded almost angry.

"Second, you put yourself in harms way, and not to mention possible questioning by the police, to try and help a child who I know you _knew_ was dangerous and had just killed someone."

Hei stared at November as his voice rose. 

"Third, you put yourself between said child and a _loaded_ gun as I pulled the trigger..."

November was almost yelling now. 

"And fourth, instead of going straight home you thought it a good idea to take a nice walk through the dark streets when only moments before an _armed_ person broke into the house you were working in!"

November felt a little remorseful when he saw how the dark-haired man looked away from him. He probably could have handled that a lot better, he thought. But dammit he was mad and he just hadn't been able to stop himself. 

"I...I just wanted to help." The younger man said quietly. 

November now felt very remorseful. He imagined he wasn't the only one who felt worn thin by the evenings events.

"Tell me what happened to your sister." November said softly, trying to put his anger behind him.

Hei sighed quietly, a deal was a deal. "There's not too much more to say." Hei rested his arms on the table, looking down at its surface. "I already told you that my sister and I were sent to a boarding school at a young age."

November nodded, even though he could see the younger man wasn't looking at him.

"I was 10 when we started there. My sister was 8. We would always go home to our parent's farm on the holidays. We didn't get to see them much during school cause they lived so far away. So, my sister and I, we were very close.

"When I was 12, the Gates appeared. News traveled fast, even to our little school. We started hearing about strange things happening, almost supernatural phenomenons and beings appearing. But it all seemed so far away from the country, like it was someone else's problem not ours."

Hei took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. He hadn't realized just how difficult talking about this would be. He glanced up at November and saw something akin to concern and understanding in the light blue eyes. He looked back down at the table.

"My sister gradually grew more distant from me. At first I thought she was just growing up and didn't want to be hanging around her older brother all the time...but it was like she grew...cold. I found myself alone more often than not." Hei bit the side of his mouth, he didn't want to drag up this memory but it was necessary. "One day I stayed back in one of the rooms after class. I had been so absorbed in what I was reading that I didn't see three of the older students enter. They were just the typical school bullies who wanted someone to pick on and I was just a convenient target. I probably shouldn't have done it but I had just had enough with my sister being so distant." Hei trailed off getting lost in the memory of when he first witnessed Bai's terrible power. 

"What happened?" November asked, pulling Hei from his thoughts.

He heard the dark-haired man chuckle lightly. "I broke the first one's nose."

November felt himself smile as he looked at the exchange student. He could imagine how shocked that kid must have been when his nose was broken. Li didn't look like he had much power behind him, but November knew from experience not to underestimate the Chinese man. 

"What happened then?"

"I made the wrong move," Hei continued. "The other two grabbed me and before I knew it the one I had punched in the nose had a knife in his hand." November looked alarmed but it was the next part that stuck in Hei's mind like a thorn. "Nothing happened. When I realized that I couldn't feel the knife slicing into me, I opened my eyes. They were gone, like they had just vanished. The only other person in the room was my sister. To this day I don't know what happened but I never saw those three students ever again...no one did."

November already suspected that Li's sister was a Contractor. From what he had described of her at the Fujimura residence there really wasn't much doubt. 

"The school was frantic that three of their students were missing," Hei said, "and it was shut down while police investigated. I was really looking forward to going home, I was beginning to feel so lonely there." Hei took a breath. "We had the cab driver drop us off at the main gate, the driveway was long and unsealed and not really suitable for the car. Plus, I quite enjoyed the walk up to the house. But when we got there..." Hei felt the words get stuck in his throat, he could still smell burnt remains of the house he had once called home. 

Hei looked up startled as November reached out and gently took his hand. 

"You don't have to tell me if its too painful," November said, running his thumb gently over Hei's hand.

Hei looked down at their hands. He felt surprisingly comforted by the other's actions. He slowly shook his head. 

"When we got there the house was burnt down. I ran inside but our parents...they hadn't survived."

November reached out to take Hei's other hand in his as well, squeezing it in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He waited for the other to continue.

"It took us hours to walk to the local police station, I carried my sister the rest of the way when she got too tired. They were really kind and tried to put us in contact with our relatives. We stayed the night there. The next morning there was a man in a suit that wanted to meet us. He said he was investigating the disappearance of the three boys from the boarding school. I didn't think he was a police officer, and now I'm almost certain he wasn't. He questioned my sister and I separately. I didn't tell him anything about what had happened or what I saw...but I don't know what my sister said."

November felt anger well up in him again, this time on behalf of the dark-haired man. The pieces were starting to click together in November's head and he highly doubted that the fire that claimed Li's home and parents had been an accident. 

"He took her. He said she was responsible for the disappearance of the boys, that she had killed them...but she had just been trying to protect me. And I failed to protect her." Hei looked up at November. "I never saw or heard from her again. I don't know if she's even alive still. But...I like to think that she is out there somewhere."

November could feel the honest pain in the dark-haired man's voice but he also got the feeling the Chinese man wasn't giving him the full story, that he had omitted and twisted parts of it. But November was hardly going to call him out on it, not when there was so much sadness in those midnight blue eyes. And his story had given November enough insight into why the exchange student had been so adamant about helping Ben. He imagined that the Chinese man saw many parallels between himself and his sister and Olivia and Ben. There was still something that nagged at November though.

"What happened to you?"

"I was taken in by the man that ran the Dojo I use to attend. I stayed there and trained and taught until I enrolled in University."

November nodded to himself slowly, wondering silently why Li hadn't been taken in by a relative. But, that certainly explained the Chinese man's martial arts prowess. 

"You look like you could use a stiff drink," November said. "I know I certainly could."

"You're not angry I pulled you into this?" The dark-haired man looked surprised. 

November shook his head. "No, I could have easily turned all of you into the police had I not wanted to be 'pulled into this'." November smiled at Hei. "Besides, it seems I find you more and more interesting each time we meet."

Hei looked down at his hands which were still held in November's. It seemed the British Contractor wouldn't shake easily and Hei found himself not happy...but content with it. 

"I think I could go for a drink too."

November grinned at him, releasing his hands with a final squeeze. 

* * *

The two of them walked to the little bar Hei had worked at when he had first been properly introduced to the MI6 agent. Perhaps properly introduced was the wrong phrase. Where their aliases had been properly introduced. 

November motioned for Hei to enter the bar before him, he was a gentleman after all. Sliding into the booth that he, April and Misaki had once sat at, he looked around the bar. 

"I think I prefer you on this side of the table," November said, reaching for the drink menu. 

Hei felt heat rise on his face. There was no reason for it, he was sure the Brit was just being amicable...in a British way. 

November eyed the slight blush on the dark-haired man's face, moving closer so Li could also see the menu. It was really an excuse to get closer to the exchange student, November was quite sure Li knew the drinks menu off by heart, he had worked here. 

"Spirits?" November inquired.

Hei nodded.

"Whiskey?"

"Sure," Hei answered. He knew he would need something strong to alleviate the unexplainable tension caused by November's leg touching his own. 

November beckoned to a waiter who walked by their table. Hei saw surprise flash over the waiter's face when he saw him and November in the booth. Great, Hei thought, now all the waitstaff are going to think I'm dating 'Jack Simon'. He hoped he wouldn't have to return to working at the bar. 

The waiter returned with their drinks giving Hei a quick wink. Hei felt his face burn even hotter. He grabbed his drink and downed it. November raised an eyebrow at him before ordering another few drinks. 

"What happened with Olivia and Ben?" Hei asked.

November smiled. "They are on a plane out of the country as we speak. I called in a favour from a mate of mine who works in witness protection. Don't worry, they'll be safe."

Hei doubted that, but he supposed they would be as close to safe as they could ever be. 

"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier." November took a sip of his drink. "It was brave of you to protect someone you barely knew. That's something that should be admired. You're a good person, Li."

If only November knew the truth about him, Hei thought. He stayed silent, wishing that drink would hurry up. 

November regarded Hei in the silence that followed, he could take a guess at what was on the dark-haired man's mind. "Your sister's disappearance isn't your fault," November said softly. "Please don't let not knowing what happened to her destroy you."

Hei felt jolted. The Brit's words hit close to home. And hard. 

"I've seen it undo someone I cared about before. I don't want that to happen to you." 

Midnight and ice blue eyes met and Hei thought he saw that same look of concern mixed with understanding in the blond's gaze. 

"I-" Hei began.

They were interrupted as the waiter returned, placing more drinks on their table. Hei tore his gaze away from November, trying to subtly put more distance between himself and the blond. He was uncomfortable by how easily November was able to read him...and uncomfortable at how the other Contractor's closeness was making him feel.

"Thank-you for helping them," Hei said, this time slowly sipping from his drink. "I know I put you in a difficult situation."

"A slight detour," November drawled. "But I still ended up where I wanted to be." November reached out again taking Hei's hand in his own. He brushed his his thumb over the rough calluses on Hei's palm. "I imagine you got these from training with weapons during your time at the Dojo. What martial art did you practice?"

Hei was thrown back to when November had asked him what he was studying at the University. Then, he had felt annoyed by the British Contractor's constant questions and being forced to make up a lie on the spot. But now he felt more at ease in the other's company and while he still had to bend the truth, he didn't feel the need to be as secretive as he once was. He vaguely wondered if it was what seemed to be the Brit's constant efforts to wedge himself into his life that was causing him to loosen up or the drink he had downed moments before. 

He decided not to think too hard on the matter for once. 

"Wing Tsun," Hei replied. "It was a very traditional Dojo but the old man who ran it was kind."

"I think Butterfly Swords suit you," November said. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Again, Hei was shocked by just how _accurate_ the Brit's guess was. It must have must have shown on his face cause a grin formed on the other's.

"You're not."

The conversation flowed easier than Hei expected as he told November about some of his martial arts training, with emphasis on the _some_. In return, the blond spoke about the 'self defense' training he had undertaken with the British Ministry. The waiter returned to their table as they were deep in conversation and they found themselves ordering another round of drinks. November found the evening going much better than expected. If this was the destination then he would happily take as many detours as needed to arrive. 

* * *

November watched as Li slowly closed his eyes, transfixed as the shadows cast by the warm light from the bar danced across his features. The evening and alcohol were obviously catching up with the younger man. His eyes moved to the dark-haired man's throat as he tilted his head back, eyeing the pale skin where it disappeared under the loose fitting shirt. November grabbed his drink and knocked it back, suppressing the urge to reach out and trace the contour of Li's neck. Beautiful was definitely the correct word to describe Li, he lamented. 

The clink of November's glass being put down startled Li out of his half doze and November was suddenly caught in the depths of those midnight blue eyes.

"Come on," November said, swallowing. "I'll walk you home."

It was really for his own benefit rather than Li's. He had to get out of the bar before he did something impulsive like seeing for himself if the raven hair was as silky as it looked. Li nodded, a sleepy expression on his face, following the Brit out of the bar.

"Thank-you," Hei repeated again as he struggled to slide the key into the lock. 

"It's no problem," November said a bit quicker than was natural. He needed Li to get inside his apartment before he decided to push the dark-haired man up against the door and kiss him until they were both out of breath. The alcohol had loosened his inhibitions and his growing thoughts of the young man wanted to be turned into actions. 

The lock clicked open and Hei fell forward as the door he had been leaning against suddenly swung open. November grabbed the other's arm before he fell flat on his face and found himself looking into the midnight eyes once again as Li stumbled, this time in the opposite direction. 

"Sorry," Hei mumbled as he pushed himself off the blond's chest. 

November was frozen to the spot by the other's sudden proximity. Fortunately, Li seemed a bit too tipsy to notice. Regaining balance, the other now stood before him.

"Will you be right by yourself?" November asked. He hoped to God the other said yes, he didn't think he would be able to handle helping the other get ready for bed. 

Li nodded and November breathed a sigh of relief. After he made sure the younger man got into his apartment alright, and waiting to make sure he didn't hear him fall over, November walked down the stairs. His car was parked in the street over but he knew he would be far over the limit to drive. It could stay there till the morning. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he called a cab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who has read so far :) I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ;)
> 
> A/N (29/06/2020): Hey everyone, just a quick update. I have an assignment due in soon so the next chapter might be delayed by a couple of days. I am hoping to post it by this Sunday. Just wanted to let you all know incase you thought I was abandoning the fic! 
> 
> Thanks for reading ❤❤❤


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the slow update. I am still working away on my assignment, but I took a break to smash this out so I really hope you enjoy :D
> 
> Thanks so much for the comments on the last chapter - I really enjoyed reading them ♥
> 
> Happy reading!

_Thick black smoke entered his lungs, making him choke. He had to get out, had to get Xing and get them both out. He grabbed his sister's hand, her skin cold in contrast to the rapidly heating room. He didn't know what was happening but he was certain of one thing, they were no longer safe. Flames flickered behind the door to the small room they had slept in. He raced to the window pulling it open. They weren't that high up, he told himself. Smoke continued to billow under the door. He turned to Xing, telling her that it would all be fine, that he would catch her, that he would_ never _let her down._  
_Pain radiated through his feet as he landed, but nothing felt broken. He looked up at the window, smiling at Xing. Jump, he urged her, I'll catch you, trust me. There was movement in the shadows behind him as something stirred. He turned toward it. Something wasn't right, something was there. He heard the shuffle of footsteps. Help me, my sister is up there! A pale hand stretched out towards him. He took a step back. Teeth flashed in a smile. His back hit the wall, eyes transfixed by the soft blue glow._

_Like an angel...but why then...do you have the eyes of a demon...?_

  
Hei gasped for air as he awoke, panting as reality returned. Memories of last night rushed back to him, the last ones slightly hazy. He flopped his forearm over his eyes, blocking the sun out. He had gone drinking with November 11, top MI6 agent and a formidable Contractor. And he was still alive, he mused. Peering through his fingers he saw the sun high in the sky. Must have overslept, he thought. Moving to disentangle himself from his futon, Hei glimpsed a pair of feline eyes staring at him from the window ledge. He pushed himself up and opened the door. 

Mao sprung gracefully onto the kitchen counter as Hei went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. 

"How long were you watching me for?"

"Long enough to know you mumble in your sleep. What were you dreaming about?" Mao inquired. 

"Contractors don't dream, Mao." Hei said, twisting the top off the water bottle

"Ah, so they only have nightmares then?"

Hei slammed the fridge door closed, turning to face the cat who didn't look overly concerned. 

"Why are you here, Mao?"

"Detectives plucked a body from a storm water drain early this morning. They've identified it as Ikumo Fujimura, well from fingerprints at least. From what I understand Ikumo's own mother wouldn't recognize him."

"What happened?"

"My guess is another group got to Fujimura first and he didn't want to play ball, so they killed him. It's much the same as what the Syndicate would have ordered us to do if Fujimura decided not to join. There's no sense in leaving a potential asset alive for another organisation to benefit from."

Hei let Mao's words sink in, it looked like his plan had worked after all. 

"So what now?" Hei asked.

Mao jumped down from the counter, landing quietly on the floor.

"Sounds like the Syndicate is already lining up our next mission. Huang wants us to meet at the usual spot tomorrow, 10 am." Mao padded to the door as Hei held it open for him. He paused in the doorway looking back at Hei. "Don't over sleep." 

Mao leapt forward before Hei could catch his tail in the door. He would really have to remember to close the blinds in the future.

* * *

Matsumoto sighed as he re-positioned his headphones. He really shouldn't have mentioned he studied English Literature to the Chief, she had a way of remembering every little piece of information that might benefit her future investigations. He supposed that was one of the reasons she was a excellent Officer. When Kirihara had heard that Sergeant Harada's team had recovered Fujimura's body, the Chief had been on a warpath to get the recording of November 11 questioning Olivia translated. And unfortunately for Matsumoto, while he certainly wasn't fluent in English he had mentioned on more that one occasion that he possessed _admirable_ listening and reading skills in the language. 

Flipping open his notebook he hit play on the small recorder. Matsumoto listened as November 11 introduced himself to Mrs Fujimura and asked her about her husband's disappearance. There wasn't anything to note so far. Olivia's responses seemed honest but they provided little to no useful information. Matsumoto's eyebrows furrowed as he heard a third voice come onto the recording, apologizing for interrupting. The voice switched to Japanese and he heard Chief Kirihara respond. Li...was this the Chinese exchange student that has helped the Chief escape from the Wang building? The recording suddenly had Matsumoto's full attention. He listened as he heard Olivia excuse herself followed shortly by Kirihara's phone ringing- that would've been him himself calling her. He was surprised as he heard November 11 continue to speak with Li in English and was shocked when he heard what came next.

The door behind him clicked as it opened and Misaki Kirihara entered the small room. 

"Matsumoto, have you got anything..." Misaki trailed off as she looked down at her subordinate with his eyebrows raised half way to his hairline. 

Matsumoto swallowed, tugging at his tie. Should he tell the Chief what he had heard...he saw Kirihara's eyes narrow and he knew she knew he knew something. 

"Spit it out, Kunio."

Matsumoto gulped. How could he phrase this?

"Chief...what do you know about the relationship between November 11 and that exchange student?"

Matsumoto thought he saw surprise flash through the brown eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I...I heard..." Matsumoto bit his tongue, he felt embarrassed for even voicing it. The thought of the MI6 Contractor fooling around with some poor student likely a decade his junior...

"Kunio."

Misaki's sharp voice brought him back to the present. 

"I heard November 11 organizing to meet that exchange student at a bar."

Misaki's eyes widened momentarily before she grit her teeth. She knew that November 11 was up to no good when it came to Li Shengshun. The MI6 agent had been far too curious about the exchange student for it to be innocent intrigue. 

"Was there anything else?"

Matsumoto took that to mean the entire recording, not just the information he a stumbled upon. He shook his head.

"No, nothing else."

Misaki turned on her heel, closing the door behind her. She would be having words with 'Mr Simon' later. 

* * *

November was having an existential crisis. Or the Contractor version at least. He stared up at the stark white ceiling of his hotel bedroom. November mentally kicked himself. Why hadn't he just acted on his impulses and kissed Li? Let himself have a good time and eradicate the ever present thoughts of the younger man. Let Li slap him across the face and get on with his life if the other rejected him. He already knew the answer to his question and it was becoming harder and harder to deny it. He wanted something more with the dark-haired man than a brief fling in a foreign country. And he wanted whatever that something more was to be reciprocated. 

November sighed, rolling over to sit on the edge of the bed. He was no rookie when it came to charming his way into casual encounters but the prospect of pursuing something more...prolonged...found him in the deep end. It was quite the situation he found himself in. 

A light blinked at him from the bedside table. Picking up his phone, he opened it and read through the message left. It looked like his presence was requested at Section 4. He sighed again. He imagined Misaki Kirihara would have a plethora of questions for him again, most likely difficult ones in relation to last night. Something else caught his eye on the bedside table, his car keys. He remembered that he had parked the vehicle a couple of streets away from Li's apartment last night, lest the police happened to see it parked outside the exchange student's residence - he imagined _that_ would cause all kinds of questions. But, it wasn't exactly a bad thing...perhaps he would be able to see Li when he collected it later in the day. 

His throat tightened slightly at a sudden onslaught of what he could only describe as irrational nerves. The prospect of seeing Li again, after having identified wanting something _potentially_ more permanent, now seemed like stepping off the beaten track. He now realized just how little he knew about the exchange student and he wasn't even confident that the dark-haired man was that way...inclined. He took a deep breath. Well, there was one surefire way to find out but first he must endure the Police Chief's arduous questioning. 

* * *

"You said last night that it was possible an external party was trying to track Fujimura down. You implied that criminal organisations, such as the one BK-201 is affiliated with, would pay well for his powers."

November 11 nodded at Kirihara from his seat on the other side of her desk, his arms crossed and legs stretched out in a casual manner. Sometimes all it took was body language to let someone know that their position or rank did not threaten you. 

"That's correct," November said.

"Tell me what would happen if someone were to refuse their services to such an organisation," Misaki asked. 

November's eyebrows furrowed. 

"That would be highly illogical."

"That doesn't answer my question." Misaki's stare was hard as she looked at the Contractor before her.

November tilted his head back thinking.

"Well, the logical course of action for the potential organisation would be to eliminate their target so no-one else could make use of it." November smiled at Misaki. "After all, killing is more like a business decision than anything else to these organisations."

Misaki considered November's answer. 

"Police located Ikumo Fujimura's mutilated corpse early this morning after reports of what appeared to be blood leaking from a storm drain." Misaki took some satisfaction in the shocked look on the Contractor's face. "The reports were accurate, it appears Fujimura died from blood loss."

November sat up straighter in his seat at Kirihara's words. He was shocked but not for the reasons the Police Chief assumed. November knew now that it was Fujimura's son who was a Contractor...so why had Ikumo been murdered and why three weeks after his disappearance? Had an organisation captured and killed him once he gave up the information that his son Ben was the Contractor, was that why the unknown man had tried to break into the Fujimura residence last night? But he couldn't voice any of this to the Police Chief, it would threaten the safety of Ben and Olivia not to mention cause a certain Chinese student to come under suspicion. He kept his mouth shut.

"Why would whoever is involved decide to murder Fujimura three weeks after his disappearance?"

Misaki was now asking the question November 11 had asked himself only moments ago. And he had to think of a suitable response that wouldn't cause the Police Chief to dive further into the matter.

"It's possible that Fujimura was on the run from someone this entire time. It's entirely probable that it was never the intention to recruit him, rather eliminate him. Have you managed to ID the person who broke into their home?"

Misaki shook her head slowly. "No, we haven't. The forensic officer is having a fair amount of difficultly getting a print after you froze the body solid."

November didn't miss the slight accusation in Misaki's tone. 

"I also had your recording translated." Misaki stated. 

"Really? Did you find anything of note?" November asked unconcerned. The conversation he had with Olivia held nothing incriminating.

"Yes." Misaki replied and November was shocked for a second time. 

Misaki's eyes locked with November's.

"What you do in your own time is your business," Misaki continued, "but I will say this."

November felt like he a swallowed a shard of ice. He suddenly remembered he had failed to hit pause on the recording when Li interrupted the interview with Olivia. Misaki must have heard their conversation.

"I think you need to be _clear_ on your _intentions_ ," Misaki said.

November just stared back at Misaki not knowing what to say. He settled for a terse 'thank-you' as he left the office. The shard of ice seemed to settle in his stomach as he made his way to the front of the building to hail a cab. It seemed to numb him from the inside out as he stepped into the taxi, giving directions to his car in a monotone voice. He had to admit, Kirihara had got him this time. 

* * *

"Boy, did you sure get a dressing down last night."

Hei looked for the source of the voice calling out to him as he descended the stairs. His eyes landed on a slim woman with red hair. 

"I'm sorry?"

The woman cocked her head to the side, a lopsided grin forming on her face.

"Sounded like you had an argument with your boyfriend last night."

Hei stared at the woman, his palms raised.

"It's...it's not like that," he stuttered at her, reaching the bottom of the stairs. 

To his surprise the red-headed woman swung an arm over his shoulder, pulling him down towards her. 

"Nothing to be ashamed about," she whispered in his ear. "You scored yourself quite the catch." She pulled back, winking at him. Hei felt his face go beet red at her implication. "I'm Irene. From 103. And don't worry, I didn't hear any details, the walls aren't quite that thin."

"Ah...I'm Li, Li Shengshun from 201...and really Miss, it's not what you think." He stepped around the slim woman.

A grin tugged at Irene's lips again, it was obvious she did not believe him in the slightest. 

"Well Li, you should join us for drinks sometime. Mr. Not Your Boyfriend is welcome too." She winked at him one last time before heading back to her apartment.

Hei huffed out a breath, walking towards the footpath. Why was he so flustered by Irene's insinuation? He found it didn't really have anything to do with the gender of the person she was assuming he was in a relationship with, rather _who_ it was. November struck Hei as a flirt to put it bluntly, a womanizer who delighted in charming people. And Hei guessed it wasn't necessarily women who were the Brit's targets as he recalled how the man had slipped the 5,000 Yen note into his pocket. While he admitted he actually didn't mind the other Contractor, he just couldn't see himself in that sort of relationship, or any sort of relationship, if he were honest with himself. He already bore the emotional scars from the last time he'd let himself become involved with someone and it wasn't something he was keen to revisit. He pulled his jacket tighter around him as an internal cold seeped into him. No, he didn't want to go through that again. 

Stepping out onto the street, he headed towards the shops. He needed to stock up and he also figured he owed Yin a treat for what the Doll had done for him last night...and the time before that too.

* * *

November had the cab driver drop him off at the entrance to Li's street. He figured that he would drop in and see if Li would join him for a coffee before he collected his car. 

Does he even drink coffee, November thought as he started walking up the road. The shard of ice that had made its home in his stomach seemed to be slowing melting away as he walked towards the apartment building. He just needed to be honest with himself and with Li, he thought. Well, as honest as he could be considering the circumstances. He was about to start climbing the stairs up to Li's apartment when he heard a door open. 

Unruly red hair popped out from behind the door. 

"You looking for Li?" The red-headed female said.

"As a matter of fact I am." November replied, pausing at the base of the stairs.

"You just missed him."

November felt his heart drop a bit and he figured it must have shown on his face.

"Would you like me to let him know you stopped by?" The woman asked.

November shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll call him later." This time November looked over the female before him. He guessed she was Southeast Asian by her features. Perhaps this apartment building was quite popular with foreigners. "Do you know Li well?"

A shocked look came over the woman's face. "What?! I can't believe he hasn't even mentioned me to you yet! We're super close, like siblings." The woman squeezed her index and middle fingers together at him, then unfurled them to point one at him. "He's told me all about you."

November was stunned. Li had been talking about him?

His expression must have been clear to read once again for the woman now burst into laughter, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"I'm joking! I barely know Li." She looked up at him. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to. Perhaps you could drag him down from his fortress of solitude sometime for drinks with me and the gang. He's a bit of a hermit, you know."

November smiled. Yes, he did know and it also appeared there was another April in this world. As if one wasn't enough, he mused as he watched the red-head wipe tears from her eyes. If there was a God, please let him, or her, be merciful, he thought. 

He thanked the woman for the information and started walking towards his car. Seeing Li could wait, it wasn't like either of them would be going anywhere soon, not with the University semester just beginning and the abysmal lack of progress on BK-201. Usually, November would be quietly frustrated by a lack of progress on a case but, for now, he really didn't mind at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. I guess it's more of a tie-in chapter and I am sorry it is shorter than usual. I hope it shows the growing development between Hei and November. 
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and much appreciated :D 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> A/N (15/07/2019): Hey everyone! Not sure if people see these but ETA for next Chapter is sometime this coming weekend :) My pesky little assignment is now out of the way, so I can get back to writing this :) Thanks so much for everyone's support, I'm sorry updates haven't been as frequent recently ♥♥♥


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thousand apologies for the slow update again. I have been super busy recently but things are starting to calm down. 
> 
> I really hope you all enjoy this chapter :)
> 
> Happy reading!

Hei felt a a soft vibration against his thigh as he sat on the park bench. He was half listening to Huang berate Yin for not finding Fujimura, catching Huang spit out the words 'useless doll', 'full of water', and 'incompetent'. Part him felt guilty as he listened, Yin _had_ found Fujimura after all. 

The vibration stopped, followed shortly by two buzzes in quick succession. His hand itched to reach for the phone in his pocket. It had been an afterthought pocketing the small device before he left to meet with his team. Fortunately, he had the foresight to turn the phone to silent before arriving though he had seen Mao's ears flick in his direction at the gentle hum. 

Huang continued to rant, not at all hearing the soft noise, and Hei felt his guilt slowly turning into anger. 

"Huang."

Hei's voice came out sharp and cold and though he wasn't facing Huang, he could tell the older man had stopped his rant mid-sentence to stare at him.

"Berating Yin just makes you look like a fool."

"Excuse me?" Huang spat.

"There's no use in reprimanding a Doll, they don't have the capacity to understand you never-mind action your demands. That requires programming. You should know that."

Hei felt the collar of his shirt tighten as Huang suddenly appeared before him, bundling the fabric in his hand as he jerked Hei to his feet. Hei looked down into the brown eyes, placing his hand on Hunag's arm. He watched as anger turned to thinly veiled fear as Huang realized the sudden danger he had put himself in.

"Hei!" Mao shouted.

Hei tightened his grip on Huang's arm watching the brown eyes widen. Hei pried the arm from his shirt letting it drop down to Huang's side. Clearing his throat, Huang eyed Hei suspiciously, taking a few steps back. 

"It doesn't matter anyway." Huang continued, trying to pretend nothing had transpired. "The Syndicate doesn't care as long as Fujimura's dead. Sure, they wanted to enlist him but dead's the next best thing."

Huang cupped his hands around a cigarette as he tired to light it, fumbling a few times.

"Your next mission is already lined up, looks like your screw up actually payed off," Huang said, as he exhaled smoke in Hei's direction. Huang tilted his head to the side as he appraised Hei. "There's a research trip to the PANDORA research facility for scholarship students. Guess who gets to go?"

Hei didn't appreciate the almost leer on Huang's face as his cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth. 

"You can't really be serious!" Mao exclaimed, evidently shocked. "That place is right next to the Gate. When a Contractor gets that close to a hotspot, there's a risk they won't be able to keep their powers under control."

Hei winced as scared green eyes intruded his thoughts. He bit the inside of his cheek.

"So I've heard, but that's the job," said Huang, unconcerned.

"In any event I doubt he'd be able to get past the first security check point." Mao continued to protest.

Hei eyed the cat out of the corner of his eye. Why was Mao so vocal about the probable failure of the mission, it wasn't like he would be coming.

"Maybe, but the Syndicate is serious."

"And what do they want me to do when I'm in?" Hei said.

"Recovery."

"Recover what?" Mao asked.

Hei listened as Huang recounted the information given to the Syndicate by their spy. It sounded like this could be a potentially long mission with limited back-up. While that in itself did not concern him, the proximity to the Gate did. He had still been human when he and his team fought at Heaven's Gate but he still remembered the feeling of spiders seeming to crawl under his skin and something in his peripheral vision that was both there and not. He wondered what new hell being so close the Hell's Gate would bring. 

He was roused from his thoughts as Huang slid a match box towards him. Hei picked it up, sliding it open. Something caught the light within the small box. 

"This should get you through the security check point. If it doesn't work, then I guess you will be getting through in a body bag." Huang finished off his cigarette. "Have a safe trip," he said before walking away.

"Come on, Yin. Let's go too." Mao jumped to the ground, walking towards the Doll. Yin stood, nodding to no-one in particular. 

"Hei."

Hei looked up at Yin as she spoke.

"Good luck."

He felt startled by Yin's well wishes but he managed to get out a quiet 'thank-you.' He figured he at least owed the Doll politeness. 

"Same here, Hei." Mao now said. "I wish we could be of more assistance."

With that Mao guided Yin away leaving Hei sitting on the bench. He slipped his hand into his pocket when he deemed to two far enough away. Flipping open the phone he read the message. 

_I missed you yesterday. How about a coffee before your shift?_ -Jack

Hei wondered to himself how exactly November 11 knew his shift times then buried the thought. November 11 was answer enough. So, what would happen if he decided to ignore the message? Most likely he would find the blond unannounced in his apartment again. What would happen if he said no to the offer? Most likely he would be serving the blond drinks for the rest of the evening. So what would happen if he said yes? 

Hei hesitantly typed a message into the phone. He guessed Li would be finding out shortly. 

* * *

November watched as a familiar dark-haired man in a green coat approached his table. He smiled to himself, the afternoon was shaping up nicely. He'd spent the morning tearing through the MI6 Contractor database. Li's story about his sister had caught in his mind like a thorn and he found himself almost desperate to find out who she was. November had already dredged up as much information as he could about Li Shengshun and while he knew the MI6 databases weren't bottomless, he found he was quite disappointed by the amount of information he had been able to find on the younger man. Or rather the lack of it. He knew from experience, and also reputation, that China was a secretive country but the sheer lack of information on Li Shengshun was abysmal. He figured it was likely partially due to records in rural China not being kept very well but still all he had been able to find was a birth certificate, passport and some information on Li's acceptance into the University and transfer to Japan.

November had hoped that were he able to find out who Li's sister was, then he would be able to find out more about the man himself. But what made matters particularly difficult was that he only had Li's brief story of his sister to go on. Li had implied that his sister had somehow made the boys disappear, and that was confirmed by the mysterious man in the suit who had attended the police station where the siblings had stayed. So had Li's sister killed the boys or was it more like a teleportation power? Without any further information, it was unlikely that November would be able to ascertain her identity. Worse still, it was quite probable that Li's sister had been killed by authorities who feared people like her and wanted their lives extinguished. He knew that thought had also crossed Li's mind when the younger man told him that his sister had disappeared. His eye's had seemed so tired, so hopeless, so...dead. 

It chilled November a bit if he were honest with himself and he had a hunch that there was more that had happened to Li in the past than just his younger sister disappearing.

He looked up as a shadow enveloped the small table. 

"Li," November said, standing to greet the other with a smile. 

"I hope you haven't been waiting for me long," Hei said, apologetically. 

November waved a hand as they both sat down. 

"No, not at all. It's nice to see you."

The waiter arrived at their table, taking their order.

"So," Hei began, "why did you want to see me again?'"

Hei saw a flicker of surprise pass over the blond's face before it was quickly concealed.

"Is it not enough that I simply wanted to see you?"

This time Hei looked a bit shocked.

"Not to be rude, Mr. Simon, but why?" It was a question that had been constantly nagging at Hei recently.

November shook his head slowly to himself.

"We've been over this before, Li." Light blue eyes suddenly met dark. "Because I find you interesting and I want to explore that. And it's Jack. I think after being chased by mad Romanians, rescuing a damsel in distress, and drinking together you have really earned the right to use my first name. And, I think I have earned the right to have you use it."

Hei stared at November as he finished speaking. So the Brit was intent to stick his foot in the figurative door to his life. But, he still wasn't sure in what capacity the blond intended to enter his life. He had certainly noticed that the Brit's overt flirtatious behavior had dimmed, so it looked like he was safe from whatever romantic advances his nosy neighbour seemed more that happy to assume were occurring. 

"Li, the drinks have arrived."

Hei snapped back to the present, his thoughts breaking off. He looked down at the drink in front of him as November lifted his own. 

"Ah, sorry."

"What were you thinking about?"

Hei looked up at November and felt himself being studied. 

"Oh, I have this trip coming up for University soon. I just remembered about it."

"A trip?" November raised an eyebrow. "As far as I am aware, the semester hasn't started yet."

"It's a research trip before the semester starts again. It's one of the reasons I wanted to transfer to Japan."

"Oh really? Where is it to?"

"The PANDORA research facility at-"

" _What?_ " 

Hei broke off at November's sudden interruption. A dark look now came over the other Contractor's face.

"Where?"

Hei swallowed. It appeared that November could be scary in the right circumstances. 

"Hell's Gate." 

November's face seemed to cloud over even more and Hei was concerned he might actually loose control and freeze the coffee cup he now clenched tightly in his hand. 

"No." November said sharply.

"I'm sorry?" Hei said, quite surprised by November's reaction. It wasn't like he was the one going.

November appeared to regain some control over himself, relaxing his grip on the coffee cup. Hei saw him take a deep breath and exhale, now looking calmer. 

"That place...it does something to people. And before you tell me it's all just rumors remember I have access to a lot of confidential international information." 

"I won't dispute that, I know rumors always have a basis...but it's not like I will be going into the Gate itself. I really don't think they are going to let undergraduates that close."

November nodded to himself, the coffee cup now forgotten and Hei wondered why what he had said elicited such a strong reaction from the blond. 

"How long will you be gone for?"

"Two weeks."

November continued to nod to himself. Hei didn't think he looked exactly...pleased.

"When do you leave?" November asked.

"Tomorrow."

November looked up at him sharply and Hei thought he might protest again. 

But he was wrong as he saw November nod once again this time looking resolute. 

"I'll give you a lift to the terminal tomorrow."

"What? You really don't have to. I'll-"

"No, it will be troublesome catching public transport with your bags. Besides, I would like to see you off." November smiled.

Hei found he couldn't find an argument against that logic and simply nodded. The two once again picked up their drinks, lapsing into silence. 

"I should stop stealing your time, your shift will start soon." November said, looking at his watch. 

Hei grabbed the phone in his pocket, flipping it open. The other Contractor was right. He stood abruptly, now reaching into another pocket to find his wallet. 

"Don't be daft. Go. I'll get this." November said, waving him off.

Hei didn't quite understand the expression, looking quizzically at November who merely chuckled.

"What time shall I pick you up tomorrow?"

"Ah...is 9:00 ok?"

"I'll be there." November replied, giving the dark-haired man a quick wink.

Maybe the flirtatious behaviour hadn't disappeared after all, Hei thought.

"Thank-you, Jack." 

With that Hei quickly departed. 

* * *

The drive to the bus terminal was uneventful, filled with idle chitchat about what he would be doing at the research facility and if he was definitely, absolutely, one-hundred percent _sure_ he wanted to go. Hei could feel a slight tension headache brewing as the Brit asked for a fifth time if he was definitely certain about going. His shift at the bar the prior evening had not exactly been peaceful either due to the constant pestering by the other bar staff about his apparent relationship with the older British national. Hei wondered idly when his and November's non-relationship had become the number one topic of conversation amongst his acquaintances. First Mao, then his neighbour, now the bar staff. Who was next? Worse yet, they all seemed to take Hei's vehement denial as confirmation. Maybe a two week get-a-way wouldn't be all that bad, even if it was to Hell's Gate.

November steered the sleek sedan into a parking bay, bringing it to a halt. They both exited, November walking to the boot to retrieve Hei's luggage. 

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Hei said, reaching past November to open to boot.

November sighed, beginning to help retrieve the luggage. He knew humans were different, but even they could be subject to close proximity to the Gate - starting to see phantoms that didn't exist and slowly unraveling. He took solace in the fact that Li would only be there two weeks and there was no way he would be exposed to the actual Gate itself. Still, he knew April would be accusing him of being gloomier than one of her storms for the next two weeks. 

He watched as the dark-haired man walked over to an assistant to check his luggage in. Two weeks. It wasn't a long time in the grand scheme of things but, at the moment, November felt it might as well be two years. He mulled over the predicament he was in - he had fallen to the bottom of the rabbit hole, hit the dirt, broken his legs, and had neither the strength nor desire to pull himself out. He watched as Li turned away from the counter, his dark eyes seeking November out in the crowd. 

Misaki's words entered his mind as he watched the dark-haired student walk towards him. _I think you need to be clear on your intentions_. He swallowed. The woman was insightful, dangerously so. 

"The bus will be here in five minutes. Thanks for the lift, I appreciate it." 

Hei smiled at him softly and November felt his tight resolve beginning to crumble. The area where they stood had become quiet as people moved toward the gate, tickets rustling in their hands. 

"I should probably get going too," Hei said, watching as people walked through the gate. 

"Li."

Hei felt November's hand cup his jaw, turning his face toward the blond. He looked up into the light blue eyes questioningly. There was something different in them, something a lot softer than he had ever seen, almost timid. He didn't have time to think further on the strange emotion before soft lips closed on his own. 

November's hand moved to gently rest on the dark-haired man's neck as he sought to deepen the kiss. November felt the other relax into him as if a wire wound tight had finally snapped. He canted the younger man's head back softly, as they both became lost in the kiss. 

Forcing himself to pull away, he looked as the midnight eyes opened to stare at him, coming to fully realize what had occurred. Surprise shone in the dark blue eyes but November couldn't see any anger.

"I'll pick you up when you arrive back?" November hated how his voice sounded so uncertain. 

He held his breath as the midnight eyes focused on him. There was a barely perceptible nod as the other stepped away.

"I'll see you when I get back, Jack." 

The dark-haired man gave him a small genuine smile and November wanted nothing more than to burn it into his mind at he watched the other depart. 

It was going to be an arduous two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like a have reached the first major point - a first kiss XD - I hope you all liked it, took long enough to get there! I'm going to smash the 'post' button before I have second thoughts XD
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and much appreciated :D
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> A/N (30/07/2020): Chapter 14 is coming, I promise! Hopefully in the next couple of days :) So sorry again for my slowness.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :D 
> 
> I sincerely want to apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I suddenly got quite busy with work due to restrictions easing where I live - which is good!
> 
> Thank-you all so much for your lovely comments on the last chapter! I think I read all of them thrice over :D
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. It takes place during episode 11. It generally follows the episode, but some things have been changed. 
> 
> Happy reading!

Hei caressed his thumb over his lip as his walked through the gate, handing his ticket over on autopilot. He couldn't deny that he had enjoyed the kiss, unexpected though it was. But even though it was unexpected he had felt himself beginning to reciprocate. It scared him a little, making his heart thud rapidly in this chest. It scared him because it was different this time. It scared him because it wasn't born of cold desperation in the shadow of a hopeless battle or a chaste, meaningless kiss while running from death. No, this was different...he couldn't pin-point why...but, he had a feeling it had something to do with _who_ it was. 

Was he really coming undone by a womanizing, showy ('cause what MI6 agent drove a bright red sportscar save for James Bond?), _man_ who happened to be a _Contractor_ as well? But, his conscience reared its ugly head, he was also willing to risk his life for an almost stranger, risk his career to help someone in need, and protective of those he cared about. 

So what was going to happen now? Their relationship had changed in a matter of seconds and Hei knew there was no going back to the way things were before. Logically, he knew he should shut November out, refuse his advances and make it clear he wasn't interested. But...Hei got the feeling, no, he _knew_ that November wouldn't let him off that easily and he found himself actually pleased at the thought. 

He didn't need to think about it now. It would be two weeks before he saw November again and he had a mission to concentrate on. He had to find the Meteor Shard and recover it for the Syndicate. 

Reaching out, he grabbed the railing in the bus, climbing the steps. The bus was most mostly quiet save for the faint buzz of both nervous and excited voices. Hei really didn't want to make small talk with students who were eager to voluntarily subject themselves to Hell's Gate. Luckily, he saw two vacant seats to his left and slid into the one closest to the window. Staring out the window at no particular point outside, Hei tried to school his thoughts. It was a lost cause as his mind kept replaying how November had gently cupped his jaw and then... 

He sensed someone sit down next to him, not paying them any attention; still lost in his thoughts. How had he not noticed that November was interested in him that way? You _did_ , his mind supplied, you just decided not to notice. I thought he was just flirtatious, he sighed continuing to stare out the window as the bus started forwards. His mind barely registered the soft glow of each street lamp passing by and his ears tuned out the light snores of another passenger. He let his mind wander to a more immediate issue...what was in store for him in the confines of PANDORA? Would he be able to keep his powers in check...would he be able to keep himself in check? What exactly waited for him inside of Hell's Gate?

_'What do you think is inside of Hell's Gate, Hei?'_

_Amber looked up into the night sky, a small smile playing on her lips._

_'I don't care.'_

_Hei shuffled slightly on the ground, making himself and his sleeping sister more comfortable. He didn't care what was inside Hell's Gate. He didn't care what was in the depths of Heaven's Gate. He didn't care who won this war. As long as he continued to play the Syndicate's pawn, he could stay with Bai._

_Amber continued to speak regardless of how much bitterness Hei forced into his voice._

_'I heard that within it you can regain whatever it is you've lost. What do you think you would like most returned to you, Hei? What price would you pay to have it?'_

_I've already paid with everything I have to keep the one thing I have left, he thought as he looked at Bai's sleeping face. There's no point entertaining fairy tales._

"Do you think its true? That urban legend, I mean. You know the one. That within the Gate you can regain whatever it is you've lost...if you're willing to pay the price in return."

Hei was pulled from his thoughts as the passenger next to him suddenly spoke. 

"What is the price I wonder?"

Hei looked over at the woman sitting next to him and felt a slight shiver through him. Crystal blue eyes and soft brown hair...for a moment he thought he was still lost in his memories and Bai had woken in his arms. He forced a smile to his face.

"Ah...well."

"You don't believe a word of it, do you?" The woman cocked her head to the side, smiling at him. "Neither do I."

The woman chuckled before extending her hand. "Moko Corinna. I'm a student in college." 

"Looks like we might be working together then." Hei smiled at Moko. "I'm Li Shengshun, I'm here as part of the research trip."

Moko's lips moved as if she was about to speak but paused. They both looked ahead as they heard passengers in front of them gasp. 

Hei looked out the window again, this time with Moko peering out too. 

They had arrived. 

* * *

Hei felt relieved as he passed through the first checkpoint, walking over to where Moko seemed to anxiously glace around. He had been concerned that she would be pulled aside by the security detail that hovered at the entry to the first checkpoint. She had been acting strange since they left the bus, her head whipping around as if seeing invisible wraiths. Hei knew the feeling having had first hand experience himself. He'd grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear something someone had long ago said to him; 

_"Don't forget why you came here."_

He was glad he had done it. They now both stood in a large room with a small group of other students. Some seemed preoccupied with taking in their surroundings while some seemed fixated on what their research leader was saying. But Hei was focused on something different. 

The moment they stepped into the room, Hei's focus was solely on one thing and one thing only. His eyes locked on the small refractor standing amongst the other different make and models. A Satake...just like the one his parents had given him one birthday...the one that had been broken as he was pushed over the bridge...the one that November 11 had left with. He didn't hold much hope for it being fixed. While he was certain November would try every trick in the book to get the old refractor fixed, its current absence just confirmed what Hei had long suspected - it couldn't be fixed. He was sure that was the reason it hadn't been returned yet and he imagined November 11 was scrambling to find a way to repair it. It really didn't bother him. It was just a fragment of his past, best left to remain broken and unfixed with the rest. But a small part of him had hoped that November would be able to piece it back together. A small part of him still hoped for that. 

His attention was broken as Moko flinched next to him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, seeing her staring at nothing.

"What's wrong?" He whispered to her.

Moko whipped her head around to face him and Hei was startled by the sheer terror in her expression. He was about to try and reassure her when he heard the research leader speak again, this time a lot closer. 

"Visual and auditory hallucinations are common here."

Hei looked up at the man as he spoke. He gave a kind smile to Moko. What was his name again?

"Things also tend to vanish and reappear. You will get use to it." The research leader gave Hei a small wink, returning his attention to the group. "I'll let you all settle in. See you all tomorrow."

Hei watched as Moko took shaky steps towards the door, following the rest of the group out. Hei turned to follow but was stopped as the research leader spoke again.

"I hope my talk didn't bore you too much. I couldn't help but notice you seemed more interested in the telescopes."

"I'm sorry..."

"Nick." The man said, giving him a warm smile. It seemed he knew that Hei had failed to take note of his name but Hei could only see faint mirth in the light blue eyes. 

"I used to have a telescope exactly like that one." Hei nodded at the small refractor nestled amongst the larger ones and Dobsonians. 

"You had a Satake?"

Hei nodded silently and Nick seemed to consider him for a moment. 

"Most people here want to discover the Gate's secrets...but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's not why you are here." Hei felt himself freeze slightly at Nick's words. "I think you have a different reason."

Hei watched as Nick walked forwards towards the Satake and picked it up. He looked back over his shoulder. 

"Tell me, why did you decide to join this research trip?"

"I'm studying Astronomy."

Nick smiled to himself. "Perhaps I should rephrase that, why are you studying Astronomy?"

Hei had studied for a long list of potential questions he might be asked from Astronomical Spectroscopy to Kepler's Laws. But to be asked something that was more of a personal question had him slightly stumped. Hei firmly believed that the best lies were based on the truth...but this lie was essentially the truth. 

"I miss the real stars," Hei said quietly, looking off to the side. 

The expression on Nick's face seemed to be one of a man who had his suspicions confirmed and was pleased. 

"How would you like to come with me and see the real stars?"

* * *

Hei followed Nick along the quiet corridors not knowing where their destination was. What Nick proposed was impossible, Hei knew that. But still, he couldn't help but want to believe what Nick said was true...that he could see the real stars. He berated himself for his childish curiosity, he knew that disappointment was the only possible result but he couldn't quell the part of him that hoped for something else. 

Nick pulled open a fire escape door, motioning for Hei to enter. Coming to the end of the stairs, Hei pushed the door open, cold air hitting his face as he stepped onto what he assumed was the roof of the building. He took several steps and paused. The sky was overcast and tinged with the soft glow from the city beneath them. He doubted they would even be able to see the fake stars in these conditions. 

Nick gently pulled the telescope from Hei's arms as the he stared up at the clouded sky. Nick walked over to a fire extinguisher cabinet, opening it and pulling out two blankets he had stashed there. He threw one over the shoulder of the dark-haired student who had accompanied him. The action appeared to bring the other back to himself. 

"I know what you are thinking," Nick said with a soft smile as dark eyes looked at him. "Here."

Hei felt Nick grab his hand pushing a small object into it. Hei turned it in his palm feeling a small smile tug at his mouth.

"I never had a Barlow lens. The ones that were compatible were way too expensive for me." And there was no point when I finally was finally able to afford one, his mind provided bitterly. 

"Well, after 10 years you finally do."

Nick seemed to speak with so much confidence that Hei found himself almost convinced the real stars were going to make an appearance. He moved towards the telescope, carefully screwing the Barlow into the star diagonal as Nick placed the dew cap over the main lens in a way that seemed almost from practiced muscle memory. 

"So what are you going to do?" Hei asked once the telescope was fully set up. 

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to look at the stars."

"Yeah...but..." Hei said. He didn't need to say more, Nick knew he doubted him. 

"Are you really going to give up on something you love just because it isn't how you remember it?" Nick said as he peered into the eyepiece. "I couldn't do it. Just because something appears no longer here doesn't mean it's not. Have a look."

Hei shuffled over to the telescope. The image he saw through the eyepiece just confirmed his doubts. Nothing but hazy sky, not even a fake star to be seen. He bit the side of his mouth, it was to be expected and it was what he got for believing in something as ridiculous as Nick's words.

He looked away. "I don't see anything."

"Forget about everything. Forget that the moon has vanished. Forget that all the rockets we have sent up have gone missing. You have to believe that these stars are the ones you were gazing at in the past."

Hei stared up at Nick, doubtful. Was that really all it took? Perhaps Nick had been at PANDORA too long and was suffering from his own warned about hallucinations. But...what did he have to loose? 

Hei didn't quite take Nick's advice. Instead of forgetting that the moon and rockets had all vanished, Hei imagined that Nick, PANDORA and that the city they looked out over had all vanished. All but a distant nightmare. He imagined himself standing in a green field, his sister wading out into the lagoon before him; staring up at the night sky. He smiled at her as she looked back over her shoulder at him and he bent to peer into the eyepiece. 

Hei gasped as small pinpricks of light suddenly appeared, growing brighter as he pressed his eye to the telescope.

"Why? There was nothing there a moment ago!"

"We're within the Gate." Came Nick's calm reply. "'The impossible becomes possible' is the best explanation I can come up with at the moment. The explanation is a little sub par coming from a scientist, isn't it?"

Nick's voice rippled over Hei like those on water's surface, noticed but not sinking in as he continued to stare into the telescope. He searched the stars before him desperately. It had been so long since he had seen them, and he wanted, truly wanted, to believe these were the real stars, the same stars he and his sister had gazed at all those years ago. 

He felt the wind sting his eyes as Nick continued to talk...something about this being one potential future of their planet. A probable future...did that mean the Gates would disappear...even the now inaccessible Heaven's Gate? 

...what would that mean for him? 

He lost track of time as he sat with Nick, listening to him talk about his sister. He didn't talk about his own, content to listen to the other speak about his fondly. They both stared up at the clouded sky as Nick started pointing out where certain constellations would be this time of year and Hei let himself imagine, that behind those bleak clouds, the real stars shone. 

And if he were to see one fall he would honestly wish that Nick's dream would come true. 

* * *

_'Hei.'_

Blood tickled down his arm as his blade tore into flesh.

_'Hei.'_

It cooled rapidly as it flowed over his skin.

 _'Hei_.'

He turned to look at his sister.

_'Look.'_

He followed his sister's hand towards the dark night sky. 

_'I made the stars fall for you.'_

Hei gasped as he woke, ripping sticky sheets from him. He pulled at his damp hair as he curled in on himself. Three days. Three days had passed and already he could feel the strange sensation of eyes constantly on him. He slid himself out of the small bed walking over to the little bathroom to splash water over his face. How could he be unraveling so easily? He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, dark bags were already forming under his eyes. Leaning forwards, he let his forehead rest on the cold glass. Three days. 

There was a quiet knock at his door followed by a soft rustle as something was pushed under it. He heard the clip of heels walking away down the corridor. Kneeling down he picked up the piece of paper on the floor. 

_Equipment room A-3, 8:00pm._

He read the small piece of paper. It looked like the Syndicate's spy had finally made contact. Hei didn't know who it was yet. He was truly going into this mission blind with little to no information provided to him by Huang. Hei knew it wasn't Huang who was to blame, the Syndicate obviously felt that the mission had a high potential for failure and didn't want to risk exposing their other operatives should Hei be discovered and interrogated. That thought just added to his unease.

And it was more than a general sense of unease due to a high-risk mission. Hei had been subjected to plenty of those when we was younger and more expendable then he currently was. No, this unease was compounded due to where he was...and its unpredictability. 

This wasn't the same as Heaven's Gate where he had seen shadows within shadows that he had slowly grown accustomed to. This was different because he didn't know if it was caused by Hell's Gate or his own mental barriers cracking when we woke gasping from memories long buried. Of a familiar voice calling a name that wasn't his. 

Returning to the bathroom, he looked up at his reflection in the small mirror, bringing a hand up to touch the dark lines that were starting to form under his eyes. He knew he looked wretched and he should probably try and go back to sleep, but he knew he wouldn't be able to. 

He looked over at the digital clock that sat it his room. It was 5:00am already. He figured a lot of the PANDORA personnel would be starting their day now and it wouldn't be seen as strange if he took a walk through the corridors. 

Decided, he quickly showered and changed. 

* * *

The bright, stark lights of the corridor were a dramatic change from the darkness of his room and Hei found they helped to wash away the lingering anxiety that had plagued him since he awoke. He eventually found himself in the cafeteria ordering breakfast. He wasn't sure if he was even hungry or if he could even stomach it but he ordered nonetheless. Looking across the room Hei spotted Moko sitting at one of the tables, her head bowed and un-moving. 

Hei had noticed how she was beginning to unravel. How her face now bore lines of tiredness and stress. How her eyes never really seemed to focus. Hei was glad in a way...her expression was now so far removed from Bai's that he could forget the similarities in their appearance. 

"May I sit here?" He asked.

Moko looked up at him and Hei was now certain it was only a matter of time before she cracked completely. He started forcing himself to eat his meal in silence not really tasting anything. 

"I can see things I've lost."

Hei looked up at Moko spoke.

"I can see things I haven't lost," she continued as she looked off at a point far, far away Hei figured only she could see.

Her gaze snapped back to Hei but her eyes were unfocused. "Why are you chasing me?!"

Hei dropped his fork down as Moko suddenly stood, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Shut up! Who are you to criticize me?! You're dead. You're dead. You're dead!"

Moko squeezed her eyes shut, pushing her palms against her temples. Hei was now acutely aware of several sets of eyes on them and looked over as he saw Nick enter the cafeteria and stop, looking at the scene before him.

"Always following."

Moko's voice was quiet now as she let her hands drop to the table, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the edge. 

"She's always following."

Hei saw Moko's dead blue eyes look at him through her light brown hair and he felt as if time had frozen.

"Always following _you_ , always with _you_ ," Moko whispered.

Moko's hand suddenly shot across the table, grabbing his collar. 

"Who is she?!" Moko screamed into Hei's face and he brought his hands up to grip her arms.

Hei heard a shout from across the room and the grip was released from his shirt. He saw Moko running from the room. 

"Are you ok?"

Hei looked up into blue eyes as Nick clasped his shoulder.

"I'm fine...I'm worried about her though."

"It might be difficult for her to return to society if she is that far gone." Nick mused.

"What's going to happen to her?"

Nick smiled again but this time it seemed strained. "Nothing for now. But her behaviour is concerning."

Hei stayed silent. Something about Moko's words had shaken him and he hoped it didn't show on his face. 

"Li."

Hei looked up at Nick again.

"We'll be doing data collection from the new personnel today. I wanted to give you a heads up."

Hei's incomprehension must have shown because Nick continued. 

"It involves subjecting test subjects to a direct video feed of the Gate in order to gauge their reaction to the stimuli. Most people don't react at all, so I'm sure you'll be fine." Nick gave Hei a reassuring smile and Hei returned it. 

He watched Nick walk away. He wished he had the same confidence in himself that Nick did. 

* * *

Hei glanced at the other students that sat around him. He was nervous and the headset he wore made him uncomfortable and his neck stiff. Something warm touched his shoulder and he looked up at Nick. 

"You'll be fine."

He felt comforted by the words, watching as Nick walked to the front, giving him a thumbs-up.

The room became silent as the test begun save for the chatter from the scientists near the monitor. Hei glanced around him, curious as to how other people would react.

_'Hei.'_

A chill ran through him, he looked up. Who had said that?

_'Hei'._

His eyes locked on the screen before him and he froze. No...it couldn't be.

_'Hei.'_

His breaths became short and ragged. He wanted to run from the room but it was as if his muscles were frozen in fear and his eyes couldn't look away.

_'Hei.'_

The edges of his vision were becoming dark. He had to get out, he had to get away. He didn't even know what he was running from anymore, only that he had to as an all encompassing fear enveloped him.

_'Hei.'_

His vision was becoming darker. He forced himself to stand.

_'Hei...'_

"Li?"

His legs buckled...

"Li!"

...and everything became black.

_'...look.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit I found this chapter quite difficult to write. I didn't want to bore everyone to death by recounting canon events but also needed to start setting up for future chapters (which probably isn't apparent yet lol).
> 
> Again, thanks so much to everyone who has read, commented, Kudoed, subscribed, bookmarked etc. You are all awesome ♥♥♥ 
> 
> Until next time! (which hopefully won't be a long time :D - hoping to get the next chapter up in a week) ♥♥♥
> 
> A/N (11/08/2020): I'm so sorry everyone but studies strike again so the next chapter will probably be delayed a bit again :( I have a fair bit planned for the next chapter and don't want to rush it but wanted to keep you all up to date :) Thank you all again so much ♥♥♥


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goodness...I am so sorry it has almost been a month since I last updated! It's not for lack of wanting to write this fic...I just haven't been able to find much time recently. Thanks so much for all your patience ♥ As a small consolation, this is the longest chapter so far at 5,001 words! I hope it was worth the wait :) 
> 
> So, again, this takes place during episode 11/12. I have reworked some things to fit my fic but some of what happened in the episodes remains the same. I'll probably include what remains the same in the end notes to help jog people's memories. But if you have any questions please let me know and I am happy to answer :)
> 
> Oh, and I added a 'Canon-Typical Violence' tag to this work. I don't think it warrants an 'M' rating but I just wanted to give people a heads up :)
> 
> Happy reading!

The first thing Hei saw when he opened his eyes was white.

More specifically a white sleeve. His eyes trailed up to broad shoulders, recognition setting in when they landed on blond hair.

What was Jack doing here?

He tried to say something but the words caught in his too dry throat. Lapsing into a coughing fit he saw worried blue eyes on him. He squeezed his own shut as his head started pounding. A cup of water was pushed into his hand and he drank it greedily once the coughs subsided. A warm hand pushed him back down and he let his eyes slip closed again. He was tired and he could feel sleep pulling at him again.

"Easy now."

Hei opened his eyes once more, now wide awake. The voice was obviously from an English speaking background but the accent was all wrong. Hei turned his head to look into the blue eyes, noting the slight crow's feet at their corners.

"...Nick."

"How are you feeling?" Nicked asked, taking the cup from Hei and placing it on the table next to him.

Hei started to take in his surroundings. He was in his room at PANDORA.

"What happened?" He asked as confusion set in.

"You passed out."

His shock must have been evident on his face. He didn't remember this. The last thing he remembered was Nick giving him the thumbs up...then nothing. He looked down at his hands, brows furrowing as he tried to recall something that seemed to just keep slipping through his fingers. 

Nick sighed, looking down at his hands. "I'm sorry, I should have given you more warning about what people see in the Gate." He gave a quick wry smile as Hei looked at him questioningly. "We have found there are two distinct groups of people who are most affected. The first group of people usually have an underlying condition, such as prominent anxiety or something more serious. We screen for these people beforehand and they generally don't get accepted into this facility." Nick seemed to be avoiding Hei's gaze as he waited for him to continue. "The second group is one we generally can't screen for."

Nick gave him another smile but it seemed strained to Hei. Had he honestly passed out just from viewing some footage from within the Gate? That couldn't be right. He had spent months within Heaven's Gate, and yes he would freely admit that the first weeks he had been unnerved, but he was strong of mind through personality and also necessity. He never fell prey to the Gate's tricks...so why now...what was different?

"The second group we can't easily screen for," Nick continued. "People in the second group have usually been through some...traumatic event in their lives. Sometimes it might not be even something they remember, it might be something they have suppressed."

Hei looked down at his own hands as Nick's eyes searched him, keeping his face blank while his mind came to a sudden realization. 

"How long was I out for?"

Nick glanced at the digital clock that rested on the bedside table. "At least four hours. They originally wanted you to be kept in the infirmary but once your vitals checked out I was able to convince them to let you rest here." Nick looked back over at Hei. "I know from experience it's preferable."

Hei looked up at that. So Nick had also experienced something similar to him...and Nick was right, he would much rather sleep out his unconsciousness in his room.

"Thank-you," Hei said.

"Don't, I should be apologizing to you." Nick paused and Hei again felt those almost familiar blue eyes searching him.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

Hei chose to infer that Nick was talking about what he had seen in the Hell's Gate.

"To be honest, I don't really remember what I saw...I only remember them announcing the start of the experiment, then nothing."

Nick nodded again, seemingly to himself. "Get some more rest and let me know if you need anything."

Nick squeezed his shoulder before leaving the room.

Hei sunk back on the bed again, peering at the clock through the corner of his eye. It was just past 4:00pm thankfully. He couldn't afford to miss his rendezvous with the Syndicate spy.

Something traumatic, Nick had said. Hei had a good idea what that could be and it also answered what was different this time.

This time Bai wasn't with him.

* * *

"I'm pleased you are feeling better."

Hei stared at the boxes of files before him in the equipment room as he listened to the woman speak. Part of him felt angry that she had been there when he had collapsed though...he wasn't sure if the anger was directed at her or himself. 

"I...I didn't know that Contractors could have a reaction like that...I thought their only risk was loosing control of their powers."

He wasn't here to make idle chitchat with a scientist about the unknown ways that Contractors reacted when in proximity to the Gate. Was this woman just going to continue talking?

"You know-"

"I want to ask you about the Meteor Fragment," Hei interrupted before the woman could continue her self monologue.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry...not much is known about it...it's still the source of a lot of academic debate...but there are reports that a similar artifact was discovered shortly before the disappearance of the South American Gate."

Hei heard the woman pull a file out from the shelf before her.

"...I'll keep you informed of whatever I know but please don't rely on me. I only cooperate with the Syndicate so I can conduct research here. I haven't heard from them in two years and now suddenly this..."

"Rest assured; I won't rely on you," Hei replied, his tone cold. This mission was already difficult enough without further interference. The last thing he wanted was a civilian scientist attempting to help. 

The woman turned to leave but stopped suddenly.

"I'm Mina Kandaswamy. By the way that sticker doesn't serve much of a purpose."

Hei looked up at Mina as he touched the transparent film on his neck. Huang had assured him that it would get him through the first checkpoint and he had kept it on since in the event he might be interrogated. 

"There really isn't anyway to tell a Contractor from a normal human."

Hei really looked at Mina for the first time. "How do you know that?"

Mina clutched the file she held closer to her chest, looking down at her feet.

"As you are probably aware of there are a number of different research projects that go on at this facility."

Hei didn't understand at first but then caught on. There was a reason why Havoc was being transported to PANDORA after all. And it wasn't just in order to keep her secure. 

"You're conducting human experimentation here aren't you?" Hei questioned and he couldn't help the accusation that leaked into his tone.

Mina's silence was answer enough.

"...I'm not directly involved...but yes, we do. Both Contractors and Dolls." She looked up at Hei. "It's so we can better understand-"

Mina became quiet at the look that crossed Hei's face.

"Keep me informed," Hei said, letting the hate he had for both Contractors and humans leak into his voice. He thought he saw Mina flinch slightly before she gave him a small nod and walked from the room. So PANDORA was attempting to create a Contractor detector but had been unsuccessful so far. Hei felt simultaneously comforted and horrified by the realization. Comforted because now he knew as long as he wasn't caught in the act he was relatively safe and horrified by the ramifications if he were caught. Deciding he didn't particularly want to tempt fate he left the equipment room.

* * *

Hei scanned the hall with his eyes as he dipped his spoon into the bland colourless soup. He would definitely be going on a cooking spree when he got out of PANDORA. Hell, he might even let November take him out for that dinner the Brit had been planning once Hei's trip was over. He hadn't been keen on the idea at the time but, as he raised the spoon to his mouth, it didn't seem like a bad idea at all. When the liquid met his tongue he decided that he might even go as far as _reminding_ the Brit about it. His eyes moved to the entry as he saw a new person enter the dinning hall.

 _Moko_...

He watched her carefully as she grabbed a plate and joined the line. Her back was straight, her movements stiff and controlled but Hei didn't miss the slight tremble in her hands as she scooped food onto her plate. She turned and started heading straight for his table. Hei felt frozen in place. It would be too obvious if he just up and left...but at the same time it would be understandable considering Moko's last interaction with him hadn't been the greatest. In the end, he took too long making his decision.

"May I sit here?" Moko asked quietly as she arrived at the table. 

Hei nodded absently not making eye contact. They sat in silence for several minutes, Moko picking at her food and Hei gently swirling the soup with his spoon.

"I'm sorry about before."

The spoon stopped swirling. 

"I feel like I'm loosing my mind..." Moko whispered. 

"...you're not the only one."

Moko's head snapped up to look at the man across from her. Hei picked up his spoon again, continuing to swirl it in the soup.

"I feel like this place drags up memories I would rather stay buried." He looked up at Moko, giving her a small smile. "You're not the only one." 

He saw a brief shock in her eyes like she hadn't expected him to open up to her. He look back down to the colourless soup and risked another sip. When he looked up again something had darkened in Moko's eyes. She leaned towards Hei.

"I'm going to get out of here," she whispered to him.

Hei leaned back in his seat, his eyes going wide. "But how?" He said under his breath.

Moko's eyes darted about the room. " _They_ want me to find something for them. And I know where it is." 

Moko eyes fixed on something off to her right as she spoke. Something Hei couldn't see.

"Find what?" Hei asked.

Moko's eyes snapped back to him, unnaturally fast, and Hei felt the fine hairs on the nape of his neck stand up slightly. He jumped as Moko's chair screeched back as she stood, making her way to his side of the table. She leaned down and Hei felt her breath on his ear.

" _What you lost within the Gate_."

His blood ran cold as he turned in his seat to look at Moko.

He found himself following her from the dinning hall.

* * *

Hei followed Moko through the dark corridors of the PANDORA facility. He kept a few paces behind her, alternating between looking around for threats and keeping an eye on Moko. He figured it was just his curiosity that caused him to follow the student but he couldn't help feeling the growing unease forming in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. 

Moko paused before a closed door, pulling a swipe card from her pocket. She pressed it to a panel beside the door and it slid open. Hei froze at the threshold as Moko walked inside. 

"Moko...what are you doing? This is Nick's lab."

Hei stared at Moko's dark silhouette as she stretched an arm out to stroke one of the telescopes before her. 

"She told me to come here."

"Who told you?"

Moko turned in the darkness giving Hei a knowing look, the light from the corridor giving her light blue eyes a glassy sheen. Something twinged in Hei's mind at the sight.

"Moko..." Hei tried again. "Why are we here?"

"She said we could find it here," Moko said simply.

"Find what?"

"The Meteor Fragment."

Hei's mind went blank at Moko's words. 

"You lost it, didn't you?" Moko continued as she walked toward the first telescope. "You lost it in Heaven's Gate."

Hei's body reacted before his mind fully comprehended the words. He grabbed Moko by the arm, slamming her up against the wall. 

" _What did you say_?"

"You lost more that just that, didn't you...Hei?"

Hei's arm moved on its own as he back handed Moko across the face. 

"Who are you?!"

Blood was rushing in his ears. 

Moko looked up at him through light brown hair. 

"I'm just like you," Moko whispered. 

Hei spun her around, pushing her face into the wall, pulling her arms behind her back. He straightened her index finger.

"You're going to start telling me who you are and who sent you right _now_."

He felt Moko start to shake but was surprised when a manic laughter escaped her throat. 

"You were right," she said as she looked off into the distance again. 

Hei snapped her finger.

* * *

He threw Moko to the ground as he heard footsteps running down the corridor. He'd acted on impulse and blind rage when he broke Moko's finger. He should have known her scream would alert someone. The light to the room was suddenly switched on as four armed security guards entered, weapons drawn. Hei found two rifles aimed at him and saw Moko in a similar predicament. He raised his hands up beside his head, schooling his face into an appropriate mixture of shock and fear. More footsteps sounded in the corridor and he heard someone trying to catch their breath.

"Captain! Lower your weapons!"

The muzzle of the gun didn't leave Hei's field of view.

"Captain!"

Hei chanced a look up into the hard eyes of the man who would decide whether his life ended sooner rather than later. He saw the man's mouth move but his eyes never left Hei.

"Surely you can understand that this is a serious security breach," the man drawled, his eyes still not leaving Hei."

"Li."

Hei now became aware just who the other person was.

"Nick..."

"Li, what happened." 

Hei tore his gaze away from the man wielding the gun, looking up into fearful blue eyes.

"I..."

"Li. Just tell me what happened."

Fear was starting to prickle in Hei's veins. This was _bad_. The gravity of his situation was starting to sink in. He had been caught.

He looked into the almost familiar blue eyes again and anchored himself. 

"I saw Moko going in here...she had a swipe card but I'm pretty sure it wasn't hers. She was going to the telescopes...I don't know what she was going to do but I knew this is an important experiment. I tried to stop her but I think I hurt her hand."

Hei thought he saw Nick breathe a sigh of relief. 

"Arrest her!" The captain yelled.

Suddenly, the gun was gone from Hei's view and the four guards now surrounded Moko. The one who Hei understood to be the captain reached out and grabbed her.

"Wait, what are you doing? Get off me!" Moko screeched out. She failed her arms trying to get away from the guards. "Li. Li help me-"

Hei watched as a guard pushed a syringe into Moko's neck and her head slumped forward as they dragged her limp body from the room.

The captain paused at the threshold, looking back over at Nick.

"You should watch your back, Doctor Hillman." Then he turned on his heel, leaving the room. 

"Are you ok?" Nick asked once the footsteps of the guards could not longer be heard. 

"Yeah...I'm fine. Thank-you."

Nick flicked his eyes over Hei before moving to check the telescopes. 

"Perhaps as a thank-you, you can give me a hand packing all these up," Nick said, giving Hei a quick wink. 

* * *

Telescope tucked under his arm, Hei walked back to his room. Truth be told, he was feeling tired. He'd spent the last hour or so helping Nick dismantle and pack all the telescopes that littered his lab. Well, all of them save for one. Nick had left the Satake till last asking Hei when they finished if he would like to go stargazing one last time. He had readily agreed and followed Nick to the quiet roof where he had spent his first night at PANDORA. It was there that Nick had told him that he had been selected for the expedition team that would go into Hell tomorrow, to retrieve a Gate artifact. A piece of Hei felt lost at that news. He hoped that Nick would return...he still had to make his dream come true after all.

Arriving at his room he propped the telescope against the wall. He paused to trace his fingers over the black writing on the main tube. It was exactly like his. Nick had insisted that he take it and, to be honest, it hadn't taken too much for him to accept it. 

He picked it up again, moving it inside the small room. Making sure nothing in the room had changed since his departure he collapsed onto his bed, eyes heavy and drifting closed. There was a sharp knock at his door. He thought about not answering it but eventually pulled himself from the bed. It could be Mina with more information, but it had better be good if she were coming directly to his room.

The door opened and he found himself face to face with the captain who had arrested Moko earlier in the evening. 

"I guess third time's the charm," the captain said. There was something in his voice that Hei didn't like. Like the guard was part of a joke and Hei wasn't in on it. 

"Where have you been all evening?" He continued. Hei was now aware that he wasn't alone. There were two armed security guards flanking the captain.

Hei figured he hadn't actually done anything wrong this evening and opted for telling the captain the truth. 

The captain eyed him closely. "You're coming with us for questioning."

"Questioning....questioning for what?" Hei asked.

"For conspiring to steal a Gate artifact from PANDORA."

Hei didn't get a chance to respond. The two other guards lurched forwards dragging him from his room. He carefully kept his expression shocked when all he wanted to do you glare at the captain with all the blood-lust he harboured for the man. 

* * *

He flinched as the light flashed, trying to close his eyes and turn his head away. A guard behind him grabbed his head painfully, forcing him to face the light again.

"Tell me how you know Moko Corrina."

"I only just met her on this research trip," Hei answered.

"You must know her quite well to be following her into a restricted area..."

"I was concerned for her, she's been acting strangely." Hei gasped as the light flashed even brighter.

"How was her finger broken? Were you trying to get something off her?" The captain asked, leering at Hei.

"No, it was an accident. I was trying to stop her going into Nick's lab. She panicked and started screaming. I didn't mean to do it."

The captain was now looking over to someone behind Hei, and Hei saw irritation flash through his eyes.

"Get him out of here."

* * *

Hei gripped the wall as he dragged himself down the corridor. It appeared that Mina had been right about the sticker on his neck - it didn't do anything. His legs felt like they were filled with lead as he carefully took one step after the other. He was exhausted. Mentally, physically and emotionally. At least I probably won't dream tonight, he thought bitterly. There were only a few more days left for him at PANDORA and at the moment Hei couldn't care less about whether he retrieved the Meteor Shard or not. With that thought he remembered his shock when Moko had stunned him with her knowledge of it. He didn't believe for a moment that some unknown being had told her where to find it. She was clearly being driven crazy by the Gate. But still, she had known about the Meteor Shard and...she had known his code-name. She was obviously not just an average college student. So what was she? She had knowledge of the Meteor Shard, but while knowledge of it wasn't commonplace, multiple convert agencies and research organisations did know of its existence. The fact that she knew his code-name made alarm bells ring in Hei's already fuzzy mind. So she had to be part of a covert agency like the CIA or MI6...though neither of those should know his code-name. Sure, they would know of the Black Reaper or BK-201 but they shouldn't know of Hei. Only the Syndicate would know...

_What you lost within the Gate..._

Hei froze in the hallway. No. She was just quoting some urban legend. She hadn't been referring to that. She couldn't be. But if she was...

...then Moko was part of the Syndicate. 

A new fear gripped at him and now a sharp pain stabbed at his temple on top of his already painful headache. Moko was likely being interrogated or already had been. What if she was part of the Syndicate? What if she ratted him out?

He took solace in the fact that it had been hours since Moko had been arrested. If she had said something, surely he would have already been arrested by an entire squadron of guards. 

He rounded the corner, relieved that this corridor led to his room. His relief was short lived as he saw Mina standing outside his room. 

* * *

_"Something doesn't add up."_

Hei watched as Nick moved his wheelchair through the deserted streets.

_"Why was Nick the only member of the team to survive?"_

He followed Nick into the empty building.

_"I don't think those people were killed by some Gate related phenomenon."_

He watched as the Captain was electrocuted.

_"I know he's your friend..."_

He stepped out of the shadows as Nick fulfilled his Contract.

* * *

The platform was deserted save for Hei and his luggage. The Satake wasn't with him. He had left it behind at PANDORA not being able to bring himself to take it with him. He told himself that it felt tainted by the knowledge of what Nick was. So far, he hadn't been able to really convince himself that was the reason he left it behind. 

He slid the mobile phone November 11 had given him from his pocket. At least I know that it's not bugged or anything now, he thought as he turned it over in his hands. He'd missed the last bus departing from the platform, too lost in his own thoughts and memories to pay attention to a fellow passenger tapping him on the shoulder. So now what, he thought. Huang would kill him if he called him from a traceable phone and there didn't appear to be any payphones nearby.

...or any Taxis now that he looked around. It was just him and the platform attendant. He thought for a moment that Nick had actually killed him and he was stuck in Purgatory, cursed to die, again, from boredom until his soul was purged of its sinfulness. He laughed bitterly at that and the platform attendant gave him a sideways glace. He was cracking up now. 

So who exactly could he ask to come rescue him from Platform Purgatory? There were only two numbers in the mobile phone and he was confident April would take him straight to Hell. So that left Jack. Well he supposed it was time to see if November was serious about pursuing a relationship with him or had moved on to whatever had caught his eye in the last two weeks.

* * *

November grinned when he received the message from Li. It couldn't have been better timing. He had just picked up the RX-8 from the mechanics and he couldn't wait to see the look on the student's face when he saw the red sportscar returned from the proverbial grave. If this didn't show how committed he could be to something, he didn't know what would. Sliding into the driver's seat, he started the engine. Yes, this was turning out to be a good day indeed. 

* * *

Hei didn't notice the shadow that fell over him. He didn't notice anything. He just continued to stare ahead into some point far, far away in the distance. He felt blank. Utterly drained. He didn't know how much time had passed since he had messaged November, it could have been a second, it could have been a year for all he knew. Whatever amount of time it had been, it was too long for him with his own thoughts. He watched as several ants crowed over a downed moth, biting and cutting at it as it struggled to fly with long broken wings. Am I an ant...or am I a moth...?

"Li."

He thought he heard someone call his name. Who was it? There was no one here. No one except the attendant, the ants and the slowly dying moth.

"Li."

The voice calling him was more insistent now, more urgent. But he still couldn't tear his eyes from the ground.

"Li!"

November reached out and grabbed Hei's shoulder, shaking him slightly. Dark blue eyes looked up at him and November was startled by how lost they seemed. 

"Are you ok?"

Hei stared up into light blue eyes. Nick? Had this all just been a bad dream? Had he fallen asleep while they were stargazing?

The person before him crouched down and Hei realized his mistake. 

"Jack?" 

Hei didn't know why but the realization caused his carefully constructed state of nothingness to crumble. He felt despair, anger, relief, and joy. And they were all at war with each other. He felt his hands starts to tremble. 

Large warn hands enveloped his own, steadying his shaking.

"Li," November called to the man before him. "Let's get you into the car."

Hei nodded absently as November helped him up and grabbed his luggage. November helped him into the passenger seat and then he heard the Brit closing the boot before sliding into the driver's seat. November leaned across to pull his passenger's seat belt on. The kid was obviously too out of it to even think straight. With a concerned look out of the corner of his eye, November started the vehicle.

* * *

The trip down the highway was quiet with November stealing concerned glances at his passenger and Hei staring blankly out the window. November had intended to take Li out but that would not be happening at the present time. Something had happened to Li during his time at PANDORA and November intended to find out what. But he knew now wasn't the time for that either. The other was completely exhausted and November would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't worried. 

He steered the car towards the off ramp and soon they were driving on the more suburban roads. November chanced a better look at his passenger as they stopped at a set of lights. He looked paler than usual and the lines under his eyes seemed far too dark to be healthy. November made a decision and he flicked the indicator to the right.

"I'm going to take you back to my place."

That seemed to wake the other up.

"You don't have too, I've already troubled you enough."

November shook his head. "Li, I can't in good conscience leave you alone like this." November added as he saw Li begin to open his mouth, "No arguments."

He watched at Li sunk back into his seat, obviously too tired to argue, his eyes slipping closed. 

* * *

"Li. Li, wake up. We're here."

Hei opened his eyes blearily as November undid his seat-belt. Where were they, he thought as he looked around at an underground car-park. He tried to stand but his legs felt like jelly and he was thankful for November's quiet support as he led him to an elevator. 

The trip up was quiet and quick and Hei thought he might have actually dozed off again when he was startled awake by the ping of the elevator arriving at its destination. He leaned on November slightly as the other fished his swipe card out of his pocket. The door opened and he felt November breathe a sigh of relief at something but he wasn't sure what. 

"Come-on, this way."

November gently tugged him through the suite and it wasn't until Hei was pushed onto a bed that he realized they were in a bedroom. He felt November tug his shoes off, as he sunk his head into the pillow.

November stood and looked down at the half asleep exchange student. He felt furious but he wasn't about to let that show. Li didn't need that, but he also didn't need to be exposed to Hell's Gate. Moving to the window he drew the curtains, casting the room into darkness. He stole one last look at his guest. He was breathing evenly and deeply. It didn't surprise November at all that he had fallen asleep so quick. Walking to the door, November moved to open it quietly.

"Stay."

November went still. He looked over at the bed, seeing half open dark blue eyes that were glistening in soft light that entered the bedroom.

"Li..."

"Please."

The voice sounded so small that November couldn't help but turn and walk back towards the bed. He nodded slowly and started removing his jacket. 

"Li, I-"

He looked down and saw that Li was dead to the world. It didn't matter anyway. He loosened his tie and slipped off his shoes before sinking onto the bed. 

As he looked over at the sleeping face he wondered what could have broken the Chinese man so badly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much a lot in this story happens like in the episodes. Hei still gets interrogated by security but just under different circumstances. Mina still tells Hei that she suspects Nick is a Contractor which causes Hei to follow him and confirm that he is and that he has the Meteor Shard. Nick and Hei still have their fight when Hei discovers this. Changes are mainly with Moko and obviously Hei isn't a cleaner in this ;) Any questions or confusion, just ask :)
> 
> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ♥
> 
> A/N (19/09/2020): Good news, everybody! I have started working on the next chapter :D Still not sure on ETA so please go ahead and subscribe! I can't see who you are if you subscribe, so rest assured lurkers and non-lurkers alike ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, many apologies that it has almost been a month since the last update!
> 
> I just want to say thank-you to everyone that has read for getting me to 100(+) Kudos. I never would have thought this little (well, I guess not so little now) fic would get to that milestone. So thank-you all :) 
> 
> Happy reading!

Hei awoke with the growing sense of unease that comes with being in unfamiliar surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he was laying on a bed that was definitely not his, it wasn't hard like the small one he had at the PANDORA facility nor was it uneven and lumpy in places like the one in his little apartment. Though, this one did seem to dip inexplicably to one side. Letting his head roll to the right, Hei felt every muscle in his body go taught with sudden adrenaline. As he stared in shock at the sleeping face of MI6 agent, Hei's memory rushed back. November picking him up from the terminal, barely staying awake in the RX-8, November helping him into the suite. 

Asking the Contractor to stay with him.

He let out a shaky breath. The only good thing about the situation was that he felt completely refreshed, in fact he couldn't remember dreaming at all. He stilled again as November shifted slightly, nuzzling into the pillow. He had to get out of here. Hei started to shift his weight carefully onto the other side of the bed. He'd send November a message later, tell him he had to go to work or some other excuse for leaving without saying anything. A small part of him felt bad but he quickly crushed the emotion. November was a Contractor and Contractors didn't have real emotions...though...the part of him he was crushing was starting to think otherwise. 

Casting one quick look back at the sleeping MI6 agent, Hei swung a leg off the side of the bed. Before his foot even grazed the ground he felt a hand wrap around his wrist. He froze.

"Going somewhere?" November drawled, his eyes still closed.

Hei turned to stare at him in shock as November's eyes opened to look at him. 

"I didn't take you for the type that would try and sneak away before the other awoke."

Hei felt his face heat at the double meaning attached to the Brit's sentence.

"What time is it?" Was all Hei managed to say. 

November raised at eyebrow at Hei as if he expected Hei to bolt for the door the minute he turned to glance at the clock. The grip around Hei's wrist loosened but stayed where it was.

"3:00pm. Do you have somewhere to be?"

He shook his head slowly, looking down at the floor. 

"Good."

The grip on his wrist tightened again and Hei felt himself pulled back onto the bed. He decided that any escape plan was fruitless at the present time. Silence hung between them as Hei now stared at his knees. He could feel November's eyes appraising him and knew that probably wasn't a good thing for him. Schooling his features, he tried to quell the slight anxiety that still crept under his skin after his time at PANDORA. Feeling himself slide into innocent exchange student mode, now that the opportunity for an unnoticed escape had all but evaporated, he turned and gave November a small smile.

"Tell me what happened at PANDORA."

Hei felt his mask crack and the fake smile fell from his lips. 

"I...don't really want to talk about it," Hei answered quietly. And that was the truth. He didn't. He would really rather forget the whole last two weeks. Forget Nick. Forget Moko. Forget the nightmares.

Forget Bai. 

But he couldn't. It was like a shadow that always followed him. 

He heard November shift beside him until their shoulders were touching, their backs up against the headboard. Out of the corner of his eye, Hei saw November retrieve a cigarette from his pocket, rolling it back and forth between his thumb and index finger. November stared at it wistfully.

"Do you know why I smoke, Li?" November asked suddenly.

Hei shook his head . Hei of course knew why November smoked. It was his payment after all. But Li didn't know that so Hei let slight confusion and curiosity paint his face as he looked over at the other Contractor.

"My father also worked for the British Embassy," November started, still looking at the cigarette between his fingers. "He was due to return to the UK when the plane he was on was shot down over Bosnia."

November stole a glance at the dark-haired student's startled expression before returning his gaze to the cigarette. 

"The United Nations were unable to mount a recovery mission due to the tensions in the area following the break-up of Yugoslavia," November continued. "My mother had always had a weakness when it came to tabacco. The fact that she had no body to bury nor the confirmation of the death of my father caused her to hang on to the hope that he was alive. As the months dragged on she begun smoking more and more. I suppose it was her little crutch to lean on," November gave Hei a lopsided grin. "My father never returned and my mother developed lung cancer and died two years later." Hei winced at how November said the sentence so bluntly, like it was just an undisputed fact. November turned to look at Hei again but this time there wasn't a trace of his grin, only a grim serious expression.

"It was the not knowing that really killed her. The cigarettes just helped."

Hei swallowed as he stared into November's cold blue eyes. "...so why do you smoke?"

November chuckled, pocketing the cigarette again. "I wouldn't have a clue."

Something told Hei that November had a pretty good idea on the reason for his payment.

"But I'm not going to let the same thing happen to you."

Hei's attention snapped back to November, his ice blue eyes still serious and boring into Hei's own. And in that moment Hei knew exactly what November was _referring_ to. And it made his blood turn to ice when he realized just how well the other Contractor could know him in such a small amount of time. The MI6 agent was truly a master of his craft. 

The sound of heavy footsteps, cabinets swinging open and slamming closed startled the two from their thoughts. Hei thought he saw the entirety of November's limited emotions cross his face in a split second. Shock, fear, anger, defeat, culminating in steadfast resolution as the handle to the bedroom door twisted. 

The door flung open and would have hit the wall, or more likely gone through it, if not for the doorstop.

"Hey November! I'm out of booze. Give me a lift to the off licence would y-"

April saw November on the bed. 

April saw Li on the bed. 

April put two and two together and got five.

Just as suddenly and violently as the door had opened, it closed again. April pressed her back up against the door, processing what she had just seen. A wicked smirk pulled at the side of her mouth. This was too good. 

"Working hard, _Jack_?"

She could almost feel the air around her drop by several degrees. 

"Nevermind," April sing-songed. "I'll just drive myself." She jingled the keys she had grabbed off the counter several times for good measure.

November removed himself from the bed with speed that would have rivalled the Black Reaper himself. That last thing was he wanted was his car totaled again. And really, he was doing the general public a service by preventing the madwoman getting behind the wheel. There was a reason he was the one who drove all the time. 

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, April," November said, as he opened the door and plucked the keys from April's hand. "I'm certain you could sleepwalk yourself to the nearest liquor store. Maybe you could take July with you?"

"Jack," April gasped, making sure she was loud enough to be heard from the bedroom. "One would think you were trying to get me and poor July to leave. Why ever _could_ that be?"

April thought she saw November's hand twitch slightly and her smirk grew. She just loved to push his limits. Better yet in front of the one she was starting to realize was a long-term investment to the ever logical blond Contractor. 

"...actually, Jack, maybe you could give me a lift home while you take April to the liquor store."

November turned to see his guest standing behind him. 

"I've already taken up most of your day and I don't want to trouble you further."

"You're not," November replied. _She is_ , his mind supplied.

In the end November lost against two pleading looks which were each for completely different reasons.

* * *

November wasn't happy as he steered the sportscar around a bend in the road. He had caved due to Li's almost desperate look which he suspected was caused by the unannounced arrival of the pest he had the misfortune to live with. He was going to murder April for just barging into the bedroom and already had the idea to leave her to find her own way home from the liquor store. For being the one to all but tell him to pursue Li, she sure did seem to take delight in screwing up his efforts. He just prayed he could drop Li home without April destroying the fragile relationship he had with the dark-haired man. 

He felt his pulse throb in his temple as the blue-haired woman leaned forward to make conversation with the student. Unfortunately, that conversation was decidedly one-sided and consisted of some of the most borderline _inappropriate_ questions the Brit had ever heard. He decided to interrupt April's tirade when the woman asked if Li usually went for older men. While he had to concede their was something decidedly adorable about watching Li squirm and stutter under April's interrogation, he drew the line at the female Contractor pointing out a what he knew to be a sizable age gap. He really didn't need Li overthinking that so he asked the student for directions.

November thought he saw the dark-haired man give him a grateful smile as he was excused from attempting to answer more of April's questions. But it also seemed that Li had a question of his own.

"So Jack...how come April called you November before?" Hei asked innocently.

Just another thing to add to November's list of why it was completely justifiable to murder April.

November sighed theatrically. "As you are probably aware both April and July's names come from the English names for the fourth and seventh months of the year. April felt that I should suffer along with them."

November felt quiet satisfied for the lie he had formulated on the spot as he watched the dark-haired man nod to himself out of the corner of his eye. However, November wasn't quite prepared for the next question nor was he prepared for the answer.

"So why November?" Hei asked again.

Good question, November thought. He glanced in the rearview mirror at April who gave him a slight shrug.

"Four and seven make eleven."

November's foot slipped slightly on the accelerator as he flinched at the monotone reply. He saw April staring at the person next to her in equal shock. 

"Four and seven make eleven."

"That's very good, July," November said as smoothly as possible. "Four and seven do make eleven. I suppose that's our answer."

There was an odd expression on the dark-haired man's face. Something akin to disbelief and curiosity however it disappeared so quick that November was left thinking he had imagined it. 

"It suits you," the student responded after a pause, "its the start of winter in my home country."

November whipped his head around to look at the Chinese exchange student. But the dark-haired man was staring absently out the window, watching the trees flicker past.

"See I _told_ you he doesn't think you're hot", April exclaimed loudly. 

He heard Li chuckle slightly at that and November couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he drove the car down the road. 

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" November asked as he placed a bag outside the door to the apartment. 

"I'm fine," Hei answered as he patted his jacket down looking for his keys. "In all honestly, I think I'll just sleep the rest of the afternoon."

Having found the item, Hei looked back up to see November looking down at him with a soft smile on his face. The blond reached up and pushed a few dark strands of hair out of his eyes before pulling him into a kiss. Though unexpected, Hei felt himself melt into the contact, steadying himself with a hand against November's chest. He felt grounded in that moment. He wasn't sure what to, but he felt as if his ever spinning world had come to a stop even if it was just for a moment. 

They both pulled back and November let this thumb brush over a high cheek bone as he looked into dark blue eyes. 

The sudden blaring of a car horn caused Hei to jump. November rolled his eyes. 

"Someone is getting impatient," November said as he glanced down to the road. He turned back to Hei. "Make sure you get some rest."

After saying goodbye and watching the Brit retreat down the stairs, Hei opened the door to his apartment giving a quick wave over his shoulder to where he knew November would be standing to make sure he got inside. Closing the door behind him, he heard the whirl of an engine as November departed.

And in the silence that surrounded him, Hei couldn't help but think how empty his apartment seemed. 

* * *

"You what?!"

"Do I have to repeat myself, Huang?"

Huang stared down at the young Chinese man as he inhaled deeply from his cigarette. If Huang was being honest with himself, he was moderately surprised the Contractor had managed to make it out of PANDORA at all after a botched attempt at recovering the Meteor Shard. He supposed it could be a testament to just how capable the Black Reaper was but Huang wasn't convinced. So far, the young Contractor had been a constant source of headaches for the older man. And this time wasn't any different. Huang exhaled the smoke with a sigh.

"Did anyone see you and the American Contractor in the Gate?"

Hei shook his head once slowly.

"Then I suggest you keep your mouth shut about it," Huang said with venom in his voice. "Your contact gave you information that the research leader was potentially a Contractor. You followed through on the lead. The American had already disappeared. You couldn't find the item. Your time ran out. End of story."

Huang relaxed slightly as he saw Hei nod.

"Good," he said. "Syndicate wants us to lay low for the next few weeks. I imagine the disappearance of a PANDORA staff member has put them on their toes."

"Not necessarily, Huang," Mao piped up from the fence he balanced on. "There was an explosion at a military facility in Belarus a few days ago. It killed a lot of people."

"What's that got to do with the Syndicate?" Huang snapped.

"The facility is actually a front for a KGB outpost. My guess is that the explosion wasn't an accident and the Syndicate is either involved or has an idea as to who is involved."

"How do you know that?!" Huang snapped at the cat again.

"Work experience," the cat replied smugly "Regardless," Mao continued as he pounced down from the fence, "I would presume the Syndicate is pooling their resources and attention to that."

Now that didn't sound too bad to Huang. If the Syndicate was preoccupied with another matter on another continent then no one would be looking into his team's failure at PANDORA too closely. Which suited Huang just fine. If anyone found out that Hei had been inside Hell's Gate, Black Reaper or not, Huang was certain there would be a kill order on BK-201. The Syndicate had little tolerance for operatives that may have been compromised and Huang couldn't think of any bigger compromise than a Contractor potentially driven crazy from exposure to the Gate. Huang was also quite confident that he would be required to 'take care of the matter' and Huang really didn't like his odds there. Besides, the Contractor didn't seem anymore screwed in the head than normal so Huang figured he was saving a lot of people of lot of grief by not reporting in too much detail. 

"Fine," Huang said. "In the meantime...looks like you're back at the bar."

Huang grinned around his cigarette as cold dark eyes looked up at him with contempt.

"Don't look at me like that," Huang said, savoring a long draw from the cigarette. "You only have yourself to blame. 'Cause what kind of student doesn't have a crappy part-time job? Which reminds me, the Syndicate is quite fond of the university student idea now. Congratulations on being accepted."

Huang let the cigarette fall to the ground, crushing it under his foot. Hei's eyes had exponentially darkened and Huang figured that was a good note to leave on. One could only poke the hornet's nest so much after all. 

Hei watched Huang's retreating back as he pulled a disc from his pocket.

"Mao."

Mao turned his attention toward his colleague, his feline eyes focusing on the disc.

"What's that?"

"The contact at PANDORA gave it to me before I left."

"Why didn't you give it to Huang?!" Mao said urgently. He didn't like where this was heading already.

Hei looked down at Mao blankly.

"Were you not present during that conversation?"

Mao sighed. "Fair point."

"I want you to see what's on it."

"Me?!" Mao all but screeched. "The contact gave it to you. You refused to give it to Huang. I want nothing to do with this."

"Aren't you curious, Mao?" Mao saw the Contractor's dark eyes fix on him. "I don't have a computer and I can't open this in public. You can use the one at Yin's store."

"Fine," Mao said, "but I'm not keeping this thing around once I'm done. And you owe me." 

Mao leaned forward allowing Hei to put the disc between his teeth. With the disc as secured as it could be between his fangs, Mao scampered off hoping fervently that curiosity _wouldn't_ kill the cat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked the latest chapter :) I should have some more time to write now and I am really excited about where I am taking the story next - so hopefully the words flow well for me!
> 
> Once again thanks so much for reading ♥ Comments are appreciated, framed, hung on my wall and drooled over.
> 
> Also, for those that are sick of my sporadic posting recently (I feel so guilty about this) please subscribe! I can't see who subscribes to this fic, only the numbers, so rest assured lurkers and non-lurkers alike :D
> 
> A/N (18/10/2020): Next Chapter is in progress! Please subscribe ♥


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, many apologies for the slow update! Please take the next chapter, which I hope contains plot development, as apology.
> 
> Many, many thanks to all that have read! I have a small favor to ask...
> 
> ...if you could please have a read of the end notes and let me know your thoughts it would be much appreciated ♥♥♥
> 
> Happy reading!

Hei wasn't surprised when November called him explaining he would need to cancel dinner. After all, Hei had an idea as to the unexpected work issue that had November suddenly busy. 

Hei glanced at the old clock hanging on the wall as he stood at the kitchen sink. Right about now, November would be examining the slit throats of two MI6 agents while Huang informed the Syndicate that the mission was successful. 

Reaching out, he turned on the tap, letting the water crack the blood that had dried on his knife. He imagined that the Police Chief would be there too, trying to control the fallout. The blood flaked and deformed, running in pale red streams down the cold metal. He picked at a bit that refused to come loose, watching as it finally travelled down the sink. He hadn't resorted to killing his targets in this manner for quite sometime but his paranoia over being discovered was starting to grow. He didn't want to expose BK-201 unnecessarily.

The last of the blood was washed away and Hei turned the tap off, inspecting the blade under the harsh overhead light. It was clean, the only testament to its involvement being a slight dullness to one edge. Hei rubbed his thumb over it. The blade must have rubbed against teeth as he plunged it under the jaw of the security guard. It didn't matter, it would be re-sharpened as if nothing ever happened. 

Strapping the blade back into its case, Hei reached out for another bag whose contents were quite different. 

  
_Hei had the distinct feeling of eyes on him as he and November perused the science section of the bookstore. More than once he'd looked over his shoulder to see who his mystery watcher could be only to catch a glimpse of pink. It seemed that November was starting to notice his distraction as well. He jumped slightly as November's hand grazed the small of his back._

_"I think this is the one we're looking for." November shot him a smirk as he retrieved a large volume from the shelf._

_Hei flinched again. He could've sworn he'd seen a set of eyes looking at him through the shelves. November seemed to notice something too because his smirk grew wider._

_"It seems you have an admirer," November leaned in to whisper in his ear, "how about we give them a show?"_

_The book fell from Hei's hand as November pushed him up against the shelf._

_Hei didn't have time to ask who on earth November was talking about before his lips were captured in a deep kiss. Somewhere, in the distance, Hei thought he heard a small gasp. But, his thoughts were promptly steered away from it as November did something with his tongue that made Hei wishing he still had the book to grasp onto. It the end he settled for November's elbow._

_In this next isle, Kiko smashed her hands over her mouth, staring at the two from her hiding spot. She was half an hour overdue for work but she figured Guy would probably still be asleep from his binge drinking session the night before. Besides, she had caught a glimpse of perfect collar bones and knew it was fate. Fate that brought her to bear witness to this perfection. She couldn't tear her eyes away. Absently, she felt something tug on her sleeve. The tugging grew more insistent. She looked down to see a small child with a scally cap on his head._

_"...your nose..."_

  
Hei sat down with the book at the table, flipping it open. He still didn't know who had been watching him but he hadn't thought too much about it since the bookstore. Judging by November's reaction to their watcher, it wasn't something to be overly concerned about. Hei figured he was just being jumpy. It had been a tiring week with Yin disappearing and Hei having to retrieve her. Though, retrieve wasn't exactly the right word. Yin had chosen to return with Hei and it wasn't really until now that the gravity of that act was sinking in. Yin had made a choice, her own choice. It made Hei think of the Doll he'd met when he first arrived in Japan, the duplicate of Chiaki Shinoda, but it also made him think of the third member of November and April's team...July. 

The Doll, on more than one occasion, had exhibited behavior that Hei considered to be...inconsistent with what he expected from a Doll. He vaguely wondered if it was the influence of November and April who seemed to treat the Doll as something more than just a tool to be used. And that, in itself, confused Hei. 

Two quick buzzes alerted him that he had received a new message. Considering there were only two contacts in the phone, it didn't take much guessing who it would be from. Flipping the device open, Hei quickly read through the message from November. 

_My most sincere apologies for this evening. Allow me to make it up you tomorrow?_

Hei chuckled quietly to himself. Even November's text messages held the same formal air the Brit himself had. His hand paused over the phone as he went to reply. When had he become so comfortable with November that he would willingly accept the other's company with such little thought? While November wasn't Li's enemy, he was certainly BK-201's. But when was _Hei_ going to put a stop to their growing relationship? 

Hei tightened his grip on the phone. It would end when either November's or the Black Reaper's time in Japan came to an end, he decided. Whichever came first. Decided, Hei text back an affirmative and went back to reading _An Introduction to Astronomy_.

* * *

Hei quietly exited the room as the first class finished. Not quickly enough as to draw attention to himself, but purposefully as if he had somewhere to be. He nodded politely as several excited students waved him goodbye. The lecture had been rather dull in his opinion but the stunning images of constellations had him daydreaming of better times.

_"Let's try and find this one this evening, big brother."_

_He looked down at the picture his sister had her finger pressed up against. She looked up at him with excitement in her eyes._

_"We can't look at this one this evening, Xing. It's the wrong time of year." He felt his heart squeeze a bit at his sister's crestfallen look. "But, how about we have a look at this one? If you look closely, you can see where stars are born."_

_His sister's eyes shone with excitement at his words as she nodded eagerly. He smiled down at her, returning his eye to the telescope as he cast it along Orion's Belt._

His daydream shattered as his breath was knocked from him. If it weren't for years of training, Hei was certain he would have lost his footing. The woman who had run into him wasn't so lucky.

"Are you alright?" Hei asked the woman, who knelt on the ground facing away from him.

It was then that Hei noticed the books and loose pages that littered the ground. Kneeling down, he started to reach for the closest book. His hand paused over it as he caught sight of the image on the page it had fallen open on. A dark, inky image stared back at him through red pinprick eyes. Hei couldn't make out its figure, drawn in such a way that the being seemed to sink into its shadowy background. He felt a slight shudder run through him. Was this a drawing of a Contractor?

"...Li?"

Hei stilled at the familiar voice. His gaze travelled along the floor to where the woman had turned to face him. Her light blue eyes showing surprise. Hei felt his stomach twist with conflicting emotions.

" _Moko_..."

* * *

"I can't remember anything after arriving at PANDORA. The doctors said I had a rare reaction to Gate particles during an experiment...but...I don't know."

Hei watched Moko as she stared off into the distance. He didn't doubt that Moko was being truthful...but it just created more questions for Hei. Stark white bandages wrapped tightly around two of her fingers. He highly doubted she would be speaking to him if she remembered _that_.

"I guess it's fortunate that I remember you though, Li." Moko shot him a smile. "Say, how was the rest of the PANDORA trip for you?"

"Ah, it wasn't too eventful. I guess after your accident the staff weren't too keen for a repeat," Hei lied smoothly. 

Moko nodded slowly to herself. "I guess that's a good thing...but..."

"What is it?"

Moko shook her head more strongly this time. "Nothing. So Li, what are you studying?"

"I'm enrolled in the Science degree...Moko, what kind of book is that you're reading? Does it have something to do with what you are studying?"

"Huh? Oh, this one?" Moko reached into her bag, plucking out the book Hei had seen before. "It's more a personal interest rather than something I am officially studying." Moko grinned as she handed Hei the book.

"I've always been interested in unexplained mysteries, ever since I was a small child. It's part of the reason I decided to join the PANDORA research trip."

Hei slowly begun flipping through the book as Moko continued.

"Ever since the Gates appeared there have been so many unexplained phenomenon. Even rumors of people with supernatural powers. And they've all spawned their own myths and urban legends."

Hei continued to scan the pages quickly. He wanted to find the image he had seen before. The one of the Contractor. 

"But there are some that even predate the Gates. It kind of makes you wonder if something has always been lurking in the background."

"What's this one?"

Moko shifted slightly on the bench, twisting herself to look down at the book. 

"That's the Blackbird."

Hei's brow furrowed as he flipped to the beginning of the chapter. 1986...it can't be a Contractor then, Hei thought, can it?

Hei looked over at the next image of the Blackbird. It was apparent from this image that the Blackbird was far from human...only humanoid if that, with great dark wings stretching out behind it. But it still had those red pinprick eyes that had the fine hairs on the back of Hei's neck stand on end. 

"You know, ever since the Gates appeared there have been rumors of people seeing the Blackbird all over the world," Moko whispered with excitement. "A being from the shadows with glowing red eyes. Some say it's the harbinger of death, others say it's a messenger sent to warn of a catastrophic disaster."

Hei flipped over to the next page. There was a photograph of a old building, turning brown at the edges from rust. 

"I know it's all just fiction and people's way of trying to make sense of something they can't explain but yet...I wonder why people think they are seeing it again after three decades. It's almost as if it was waiting inside...waiting for the Gate to be opened."

Hei stared at the image a little closer. There was something familiar about it.

"Sometimes I wonder if there is fact in the fiction," Moko said, looking out over the lake again. "And if we really want to find what we lost within the Gate."

Hei eyed Moko warily but when it became apparent that she had no more to say he returned his attention to the caption under the photograph. His eyes widened in surprise.

Pripyat, Ukraine.

Chernobyl.

* * *

Hei's reunion with Moko had left him with more unanswered questions. Questions he would certainly be interrogating Mao with later. He was confident that Moko was working with, or rather had worked with, the Syndicate. It was his only logical explanation for Moko knowing his code name and about the Meteor Shard. But why hadn't he been told there would be an additional contact within PANDORA? Was it an informational oversight? Or was the underground organization that he viewed as a whole entity splitting into factions bent on furthering their own goals? The one thing he was confident about though, was that the Syndicate had used their ME technology on Moko, likely when they realized she had been compromised by the Gate. Still, the fact it appeared that Moko had been left to go on with her life seemed uncharacteristically generous for the Syndicate. Hei supposed that it was easier, and less suspicious, than making Moko disappear forever. 

It was now getting late in the afternoon. All Hei's classes for the day had finished and there was nothing left to do but wait for November to pick him up. Hei flipped open his phone, checking the time. He had about half an hour to kill. Placing the phone back in his pocket, Hei stepped out onto the crossing. 

The shriek of tyres had Hei sprinting to cross the road. He jumped to the other side, his heavy bag slipping down his shoulder, pulling him to the ground along with it. Looking around for the offending vehicle that had tried to murder him, Hei spotted it a few metres up the road, faint smoke still drifting off the rear wheels.

The Mazda...

Either red RX-8s were more common than Hei thought or November had discovered who Li Shengshun actually was. The driver's door flew open and Hei quickly pushed the bag off his shoulder. If he had to get away quickly, then he didn't want it weighing him down.

Hei sprung to his feet as he saw a white shoe step from the vehicle. His heart plummeted was he begun to turn. Was he right? Had November somehow figured it out?

"Oi, Li!"

Hei jumped and looked back over his shoulder. The tension melted from his body as he saw a blue-haired woman waving at him enthusiastically. April.

... _April_. A new kind of fear filled Hei.

"Jack's caught up with some emergency meeting and is running late," April said, walking over to Hei. "He didn't want to disappoint you again so I said I would pick you up. I wanted to surprise you."

"Ah, well...you certainly did that." Hei gave April a wry smile. If she wanted to surprise him almost running him over would certainly do the trick.

April grinned back at him. "Come on." She grabbed him by the arm. "I have a whole list of bars I want to visit to celebrate your first day." 

Hei barely managed to grab his bag off the ground at he was hauled across the road and shoved into the red sportscar by April. He quickly grabbed for his seatbelt as April jumped into the driver's seat, slamming the key into the ignition barrel. 

"So...Jack let you take the car out?" In getting to know November, Hei had learnt that the Brit was somewhat possessive of the little red sportscar. Something November denied citing that his concern for the welfare of the general public was the reason April did not drive it. Hei was beginning to believe November now as April gave the engine a few revs.

"Mm hmm," April hummed. "I told him that it would demonstrate how important you are to him. That he would let someone else drive it to pick you up." April winked at Hei. "I can't believe it worked!"

Hei really wished it hadn't as April turned the wheel, threw the car into first, then released the clutch and stalled. 

* * *

"November, please come in."

November entered the stately office which overlooked the modest courtyard of the British Embassy. A balding man with a moustache looked up at him from his work.

"Mr. Richards. Had I known you were in town I would have visited earlier." November gave the man a half smile as he picked up a mirrored paperweight from a smaller desk to his right. He examined it curiously, turning the object over in his hand and watching as it caught different reflections from around the room. 

The mustached man exhaled a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "There is no surveillance in this room, November."

"Was I that obvious, Decade?" November said as he returned the paperweight to the desk. 

The man gave a small smile. "I did teach you that trick."

"As much as I enjoy reminiscing with you I doubt you called me here for that purpose."

Decade nodded solemnly. "No doubt you heard about the explosion in Belarus a few days ago."

"Yes, my condolences to our Russian counterparts," November said with no hint of sorrow.

Decade nodded, then took a breath. "There's evidence that a Contractor with matter manipulation powers was involved," Decade said slowly. "Powers at an atomic level."

"What?!" November demanded in an uncharacteristic outburst. 

"I don't need to remind you of the circumstances surrounding February's betrayal, do I?"

November felt his skin strain over his knuckles as his hands unconsciously formed fists. How could he forget the betrayal of someone he once thought of as a trusted ally and mentor?

"No, of course not." He spat out. 

Decade watched as November visibly forced himself to relax then continued. 

"What you may not have been privy to at the time was the extent of information that February stole from MI6."

"She took all our information on the Gates. All of it. What else could she possibly have run off with?" November all but snarled.

Decade stood from his chair, moving to look out the window to the courtyard below. "Approximately seven years ago, MI6 became aware of a Contractor with the most exceptional powers. Powers that rivaled even Amber's in the devastation they could bring. Powers that could alter our world as we know it."

November listened to Decade keenly, frozen in place. Why was he only finding this out now?

"As you are well aware, tensions between nations were brewing over who would have access to the Gate and what should be done. In the end, this resulted in Heaven's War with only the UK and Argentina refusing to participate. As you can probably deduce, it would be a quick victory to whoever's hands this Contractor fell into. MI6 raced to find the Contractor in order to prevent this outcome."

Decade turned around making sure to look November in the eye.

"MI6 never found the Contractor. I wonder if you could guess who did?"

November's eyes widened in shock.

"...February."

* * *

Hei watched as April downed the last of her drink before calling out to the waiter to bring more. He really wished Jack was here, even just to control the pace they were drinking at. He picked up his drink and took another sip.

"Hurry up, Li!" April yelled. "We need to make room for more drinks!"

Hei sighed, picking up his drink again and beginning to scull it. A wicked smile grew on April's face. She reached out and pushed Hei's glass even higher.

"April!" Hei yelled, as he chocked on the sudden rush of liquid. He sneezed as some went up his nose. He could hear April laughing at him as he recovered from his coughing fit. November must have the patience of a saint, he thought. 

"You might want to work on that gag reflex, Li," April said with a serious expression of her face. Hei felt his face heat as he caught on to April's meaning. He grabbed a drink from the waiter's hand before it even reached the table. 

April smirked. "Actually, can we get another round of these?" April asked the waiter who nodded. She wanted Li drunk enough so he would answer a few questions honestly. 

"So, Li, tell me...what is Jack like in bed?" Again, April smirked at the stricken look that crossed the student's face. 

"We-ah, we haven't-" Hei stuttered, trying to form a response to the blue-haired woman's question. He desperately looked to the door of the bar almost willing November to make an appearance. Or anyone really. He would gladly take a Contractor attack over his current situation. 

"I'm joking with you, Li," said April. "I can already tell Jack is playing the good old slow and steady with you."

Hei didn't quite understand the expression and to be honest he wasn't sure he wanted to. 

"He's quite smitten with you, really, it's adorable." April cackled again, taking another swig of her drink. Her laugher died though when she saw the expression on Hei's face.

"What's wrong?"

"I like Jack but...it's not like this is going to last."

"What do you mean?" April said, concerned. She didn't like where this conversation was going. 

Hei looked up at April from his drink. "I mean...you will both go back to the UK eventually, won't you?"

April hadn't really thought about that before, but Li was right. Once their business with BK-201 was done they likely would be going back to the UK. 

"Well, yes...that is where we are from."

"And I'll be going back to China after this semester is over." Or whichever country the Syndicate decides to send me to next, he thought. "So, whatever happens with Jack and I will likely end sooner or later."

April leaned back in her chair. She really hadn't thought about Li's perspective on all of this. To him, it must seem like their relationship had an impending end date on it. 

"It's true that Jack and I will have to go back to the UK. That's inevitable." April thought she detected a hint of sadness in the dark blue eyes. "But, I don't see why that would stop _you_."

"What?"

"From what Jack has told me of you, it doesn't sound like you have all that many ties to your home country. Am I wrong?"

Hei nodded slowly. That was true. He'd lost everything he had ties to in Heaven's War.

"So why don't you study aboard in the UK?" April wished she could take credit for the ingenious idea but, truth be told, she'd spied November looking at UK exchange programs. 

"Study abroad?"

"Mm hmm. And then you can get married and they won't be able to boot you from the country!" April slammed her glass down with conviction. That brilliant idea was all hers. Or the alcohol's...she was happy to take shared credit. 

The idea was hilarious and Hei found himself beginning to laugh despite the solemn mood he had been in before. The whole notion of him going to the UK with November was hilarious. 

But it was a nice fantasy. 

* * *

When November finally arrived at the bar both Li and April were smashed. After rescuing Li from what November could only assume was his 15th drink, November turned his attention to April. 

"Keys," he said bluntly.

April giggled and November raised an eyebrow as she stuffed her hand into her cleavage. 

"Here."

November's nose wrinkled with distaste as April presented him with his carkeys he imagined had been stuffed in her bra. Balancing the wobbly exchange student with one arm, November took out his handkerchief to retrieve the keys. He was not touching them with his hands until they had been properly sanitized. Something hit his shoulder with a thud and November looked down to see dark blue eyes trying to focus on him. 

"How much has he had?"

"Oh, I stopped counting when we hit double digits."

November sighed. He was honestly surprised Li was still awake, if only barely. 

"I presume you won't be coming with us?" November asked. Knowing April, she would continue drinking till sunrise. With whatever poor soul would take her company. 

She winked. "He's all yours."

And at that November half dragged, half carried the plastered Chinese student to the car.

* * *

November had debated whether he should take Li back to his suite with him. Reluctantly, he decided against it. With the two dead MI6 agents, and the new information Decade had given him, November didn't feel all too comfortable leaving Li in the suite alone in the event November was called away for another emergency. While he didn't think their suite would be the target for an attack, he didn't want to risk it. Besides, the two agents who were murdered were covert operatives. Well, they should have been covert. 

He drove the car down the now familiar roads to the student's apartment. He dimmed the lights as he entered the driveway to the building, not want to disturb the other tenants. His passenger had fallen asleep against the window, hair falling forwards over his eyes. November reached out to brush it back only for dark blue eyes to open and look at him questioningly. 

"We're here," November said quietly. "Come on, I'll help you get inside."

  
In the end that help took the form of November carrying the Chinese student up the stairs. Reaching the top, November let his charge lean against the wall as he patted him down trying to find where exactly his apartment keys were. He figured his attempts to find the keys must have been misinterpreted as a hand twisted around his tie, pulling him into a kiss. November overcame his brief shock quickly. In all the time he had known Li, the dark-haired man had never been the one to initiate anything between them. November knew it was caused by the copious amount of alcohol the student had consumed, but November couldn't help feeling pleased. He just wished Li wasn't blind drunk. 

"I guess April does have her uses after all," he muttered. 

"Huh?"

November shook his head. He doubted Li was even going to remember this and he really didn't want them to do something Li would regret. Best he get the drunk inside. "Nevermind." He smiled. "Ah ha."

November retrieved the keys he had found from within the green jacket and unlocked the door. Putting an arm around the student's waist, he guided him inside, depositing him at the small table while he got the futon ready. 

Content that Li was comfortable and wasn't going to somehow suffocate himself on the bedding, November placed a glass of water near the passed-out student. Looking down to make sure the dark-haired man was asleep, November pressed his fingers to the glass. Drawing a small amount of his power, he lightly froze the edges of the glass. Maybe one day Li could thank him for it. Satisfied everything was in order, November turned to quietly leave. 

"I think I would like that..."

It was barely more than a whisper but it made November pause in the door way. He turned, looking back down at the dark silhouette on the floor. 

"What would you like, Li?" He asked quietly.

For a moment he thought that Li had drifted off to sleep again but then a quiet response came.

"...to come with you to the UK."

November swallowed. He hadn't been expecting that. It seemed April had been nosier than usual recently. He was about to respond when he noticed the slow rise and fall of the blanket. It seemed Li had finally succumbed to his night with April. 

"Goodnight, Li."

* * *

"This can't be right."

Kanami looked over the most recent report from her colleagues at the Greenland Observatory. The results from their latest analysis weren't particularly exciting, mainly pertaining to largely inactive stars. But there was one star that she kept going back to. Something about its spectroscopy was off. 

"Oostuka. Contact the GO and ask them to check their data. I think they have an error."

"Of course, right away,"

"New entrant approaching! Previously unidentified contact!"

Both Kanami and Oostuka spun to look at the watchman.

"Get me data!" Kanami raced down the stairs where the watchman was typing furiously on the computer. 

"Data is being transferred to your tablet now, Doctor."

"What's going on," Ootsuka panted as she finally caught up to Kanami.

Kanami's eyes raced over the data filling her screen. "I don't know...get me a calculation for radial velocity ASAP."

Ootsuka nodded hurrying away. There was something odd about this star, something off about its components. Kanami couldn't quite place it but she could feel the presence of the answer. Almost as if it were sneaking up on her, laughing at her at she struggled to figure it out. 

"Radial velocity is coming to you now!" Oostuka yelled from the platform behind her. 

Kanami quickly tapped on the document, her eyes widening as she read.

"Doctor...what's wrong?" The watchman asked apprehensively. 

"This can't be right," Kanami whispered.

"Doctor?"

Kanami looked up at the screen before her. 

"It's a Binary Star."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so...
> 
> ...I'm starting to outline some future chapters and I need to know your opinions/what you would prefer especially considering this is currently rated T...
> 
> ...how do people feel about the err...possibility of mature content in a future chapter XD...?
> 
> I could write it, not write it, put it in its own chapter with a warning...please let me know your thoughts!!!
> 
> Again, many thanks for reading ♥♥♥
> 
> A/N (02/12/2020): Thank-you to everyone for your responses! I will make sure I reply to comments soon :)
> 
> It has been a really busy month for me so unfortunately I haven't had a chance to sit down and write. I'm also going to be quite busy over the holiday period so probably won't be updating until the New Year :(
> 
> Hope everyone has a great holiday season and wish you all the best! 
> 
> See you in the New Year ❤❤❤


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! I really hope everyone is safe and well in these unknown times.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for your feedback on my question. It looks like you are all happy with mature content :D When it does happen, I plan to post two chapters at once with the second one being the mature content. Don't worry, I'll still put lots of warnings in the notes ;) (and I'll endeavor not to make you all cringe too hard!). 
> 
> I've decided to split this chapter into two, so yes that mean's I am already working on chapter 19 - I'm actually back on a decent schedule for once!
> 
> ♥ - Leashed.

"Increase in blueshift, Doctor! It's accelerating inbound rapidly!"

Kanami recovered from her shock with a start. People, her staff, were looking to her in this unknown situation. Resolute, she started barking orders.

"Keep running analysis on that star and plot its trajectory based on current movement. And I want a report on other stars showing activity, I don't care how minimal. And someone contact Section Four urgently!"

"We only have a window of about 10 minutes before we loose contact," the watchman alerted Kanami.

"Why's that?" Kanami snapped, her brows furrowing as she tried to focus on readouts amidst the commotion. 

"Dawn, Ma'am."

Kanami spared a glace down at the small clock on the monitor. The watchman was right. Soon the Sun would appear and cast a veil over her sisters, shrouding them from the eyes of mortals. 

She ground her teeth together in frustration. She was going to loose that star in a number of precious minutes. Again, she felt the bizarre notion that the star mocked her, like it _knew_ she was helpless.

"Get me a photograph of it."

Kanami saw the watchman hesitate.

"Doctor?"

"I said get me a photograph of that star!"

"...with all due respect...I don't think that's going to be possible..."

Kanami reached past the watchman, grabbing the phone on his desk. 

"We've made a model for its projected trajectory and we've got 5 minutes of usable time left," Kanami said as she punched numbers into the phone.

The watchman nodded slowly. 

"I want you to send that model to the 'scope techs," Kanami winked as she held the phone to her ear. "Its time for our old girl to earn her keep."

* * *

The heel of April's boot met the small sign with a metallic clang. The structure teetered back and forth momentarily before succumbing to gravity. 

"Dammit," April huffed.

The evening had started out fun and promising for her. She found she quite enjoyed Li's company and now regretted not putting up more of a fight for November and the Chinese student to stay with her. Her morning ended in the usual disappointment of subpar hosts with abysmal drinking skills. At least Li had made it well into the double digits before being 'rescued' by his white knight. 

She kicked an empty beer can, watching as it rolled haphazardly along the pavement. November, despite his apparent carefree attitude, needed to loosen up in her opinion. And she, despite being seemingly aloof, was far more observant than people gave her credit for. Even in the small interactions she had seen between November and Li, she noticed that her comrade was truly relaxed around the dark-haired man, something she usually only witnessed when he was alone with her and July. However, last night November had seemed tense. 

April knew the deaths of the two convert MI6 agents had troubled November. Not due to any attachment to the deceased individuals, but rather the unpredictability of the attack not to mention the lack of leads as to the identity of the killer. But still, April thought November needed to worry less, and drink more. 

She watched as another beer can was propelled forwards across the road by her boot. It tumbled along before coming meeting its end under the tyre of a passing car. Her gaze travelled across the road to the opposite side, seeking a taxi that could take her home. Two people stood waiting, holding hands. There was something almost familiar about the girl.

Before April knew it she was reaching into her coat as she sprinted across the road. 

* * *

"Hello, Decade."

There had been few moments in his life where Decade had felt terrified. Scared? Certainly and frequently. It came with the job, of course. But the limb numbing coldness that came as time seemed to freeze around you was not a sensation he was used to. A cold sweat gathered at the nape of his neck as his gaze slowly dropped from vacant, dark eyes to the inkpad on his desk that concealed a panic button. Feeling slightly dizzy, he gazed in disbelief at the long sharp knife that pierced the inkpad. 

He swallowed and found his tongue.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Decade wanted to think the words came out confident and defiant, but in the end even he couldn't keep the tinge of fear from his voice. 

The dark eyes narrowed and a lip curved up into a cruel smirk. 

"I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me, Decade. If you have time for that, of course."

Decade kept his eyes locked on the emotionless ones across from him and nodded.

"I'll know if you're lying, Decade."

Decade paused a moment before nodding again, this time more firmly. 

"Tell me, Decade, where's the Black Reaper? Where's Hei?"

* * *

Misaki watched as a Police Car whizzed past her, followed by another and an ambulance. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, plenty of incidents still happened normal or otherwise that didn't require her specialist set of skills. As a firetruck labored around the corner she felt quite confident that whatever was occurring fell into what she would consider to be the 'normal' realm. The traffic had been particularly bad this morning and the appearance of the emergency vehicles likely signaled that there had been an accident. She sighed, at least traffic would be coming to a halt to the opposite direction to her destination. It was never a good look for the Chief to be late for work. 

Her console lit up as she received a phone call. 

_Kanami...what is she still doing awake?_

She pressed the accept button and moments later, she was swinging her car into a U-turn.

* * *

Decade stared out the window as he watched smoke billow into the sky. His heart skipped a beat as he realized which street the explosion had come from.

"I believe the Syndicate was going to blow up that building anyway," his guest said as he helped himself to the Scotch on Decade's desk. "Or at least, that's my understanding from your colleagues in Belarus." He took a sip. "They're quite helpful when they value their fingers."

Decade subconsciously curled his own to his palms. The tendrils of fear snaked around his throat. He'd made a _mistake_. A grave mistake in assuming Evening Primrose was behind the incident in Belarus. He balled his hands into fists. 

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" The cold voice said. "Let me see."

His guest swirled the amber liquid around the crystal glass. 

"What do I want," he repeated slowly. He smiled at Decade. "You want the eradication of all Contractors, yes?"

Decade didn't move as his guest leaned towards him.

"What I want? I want salvation."

* * *

Misaki felt nauseous as the smell of burnt flesh and melted fabric reached her nostrils. She quickly adverted her gaze as paramedics rushed past her with a stretcher. The building before her was almost unrecognizable. She choked on the fine dust particles that filled the air. Even the two buildings either side had partially collapsed and the sidewalk was littered with debris.

Had all this destruction been caused by a Contractor?

Further down the road she saw Detective Harada trying to field what she imagined to be a multitude of non-stop questions from eager reporters behind a police tape. She could hear their voices talking over each other suddenly stop as an agonized scream filled the air. She turned towards it, her own instinctual curiosity causing her to act. On the road, only a few meters from her, she saw the open doors of an ambulance and the hands of two paramedics flying rapidly around the inside of the vehicle. She moved closer.

As she approached, Misaki heard the hurried voices of the paramedics as they hooked their patient to various monitors and administered drugs. She still couldn't see the person, but she could detect a pained male voice, his words slowly becoming clear. 

"Monster."

Had this man seen the Contractor? Had he witnessed the act?

Walking to the side door of the ambulance, she climbed the small steps and entered the vehicle. Misaki recoiled at what she saw. The man lay on the stretcher, his entire body red and black with severe burns. She watched blood seep into the stretcher from his cracked skin as he thrashed his head back and forth repeating the same word over and over again.

"Monster."

The smell of flesh and fabric, burnt and melded, hit her then and it was all too much. The sight, the stench, everything. Bile rose in her throat. Swallowing carefully, she turned to leave as something hot and raspy clasped around her forearm. Misaki looked down at the unnaturally thin fingers gripping her arm following it to eyes that could no longer blink. 

"Blackbird."

The fingers uncurled and Misaki stumbled, her foot missing the step behind her, she fell backwards out of the ambulance. 

The wind was knocked from her lungs as her back collided with hard concrete. The rear doors of the ambulance slammed closed and she saw the blur of a paramedic pulling the side door closed as he jumped in, the vehicle speeding off in a blur of red and blue.

"Misaki, are you alright?"

Misaki looked up into the concerned eyes of Detective Harada who crouched before her. She opened her mouth to speak but coughed on the dust still hanging in the air. Harada moved to hold her steady as she regained her breath.

"I'm fine, Jiren," she said once her throat was clear. "What did you tell those reporters?"

Harada cocked his head to the side and smiled. 

"Gas leak."

Misaki rolled her eyes.

"Suspected gas leak," Harada added.

Harada started asking her again if she was ok but Misaki didn't hear his words. She was too busy trying to figure out what the fluffy blue thing was amongst the debris. Stumbling to her feet, she started walking towards it only half hearing Jiren's words of protest. 

Was it a piece of clothing? Was it someone's dog?

She grabbed the first piece of rubble that concealed it and, once more, her breath left her.

...April?

* * *

Hei groaned as he rolled off the futon. Had he gotten into a fight last night? A quick assessment for inquires told him no, but Contractors had indeed been involved. His last memories, before the fuzzy dark edges came closing in, were of April's manic laughter and something strong and white holding him up. He sincerely hoped that April was feeling as sorry as he was. He doubted it though.

Gingerly, he raised himself from the floor, head pounding. A glass of water he didn't recall getting sat beside him. He sculled it, slightly puzzled that it was still cool. But then, he really couldn't remember too much of the night so it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to forget getting a glass of water. And getting into bed. And getting home. 

He really ought not to drink that much again. It was unbecoming for a highly trained assassin to drop his guard so badly from overindulgence. His old trainer likely would have had his head for it, literally. 

An irritating blue light kept flashing at him in the corner of his eye. He lashed a hand out grabbing the offending device only to realize it was his phone. And that it had received a message. 

_'Please do tell me when you wake. I would certainly be regretful if you met your demise through dear April.'_

Li checked the time the message had been sent. 2:00am. Well, that answered his question about how he got home...and into bed and water. Should he text November now? Would he be awake already? Hei checked the old clock on the wall. It was 7:00am. And if he didn't text, November might just 'appear' to check on him. He sent a quick reply affirming that he indeed was still among the living.

What he didn't expect was the little device to come alive in his hand. He stared at the screen. It was November calling. He answered.

"Hello?"

"Li...you're awake."

Something was wrong. November sounded off. It was unusual for the British Contractor to state something so obvious without a slight mocking tone to his voice. This was different, he sounded on edge and Hei could vaguely make out another sound. November was driving.

"Yes...I guess I should thank-you for getting me home safely."

There was a pause on the other end as if November didn't know what to say. A thought struck Hei and it made him feel uneasy. Was November wanting to end their relationship, was that why he called? The uneasiness grew and Hei didn't like it for multiple reasons. He was about the ask November why he called when the other broke the silence.

"I'm on my way to the hospital. April...April's been severely injured."

Hei was shocked, he didn't know what to say. 

"She was caught in an explosion just outside Roppongi early this morning. I don't know the details but she's serious."

There was a hard edge to November's voice now, something Hei had never heard before. 

"I'll go with you."

The words had left Hei's mouth before he had really had a chance to think about them. There was a pause on the other end before November answered. 

"Ok."

Another pause.

"I'll see you soon," November finished and ended the call.

* * *

Amber had always commented on her bemusement that the cold blooded assassin could go from killing without batting an eye to the loving brother who cradled his sister in his arms while she made her payment. She also said it was the one thing that reminded her that he wasn't one of them. But he was one of them now. A Contractor, a logical being devoid of emotion and their impact on others. So why did he still feel the brief flickers of raw, earnest emotion - only for it to disappear, leaving him hallow and blank. He hated it.

Carmine was right. He had changed. The Reaper's mask now had spider web cracks running through its core.

Hei watched the subtle tightness in November's jaw as they looked in on April's room in ICU. July sat nearby on one of the benches watching his own feet slowly swinging backwards and forwards. He quietly retreated as the doctor approached, allowing November to enter the room. For a Contractor, November seemed almost upset which again, like with most of November's actions, confused Hei. 

Like the feel of the subtle tug of attachment confused him. One he tried to stamp out only for it to surely nip at his heels again and again. It was illogical to him, but it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore, to the point where Hei was beginning to wonder whether is was logical that a Contractor could be completely logical. He felt the line between the Black Reaper and Li starting to blur. And while the Reaper determined it best to keep the British Contractor within knife throwing distance, Li did because he wanted to. And Hei? Hei was that line. 

November reentered the waiting room with a grim expression on his face as he approached the bench where Hei and July waited. The expression told Hei everything he needed to know. It wasn't good. Hei knew that logically he should be pleased that April would possibly no longer be a threat and also diminish the threat of November himself. But, also...he actually might like her a little...and it was logical to be upset when something you like might be taken from you. 

July slowly raised his head as November approached, staring blankly up at November as if expecting an answer. November forced a smile, reaching down to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Aunty April told me once that you're actually quite the artist. I did see some crayons over there. How about you put them to good use?"

July nodded once, hopping down without complaint and wandering over to a small kid's area. 

Sighing, November collapsed down next to Hei, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling. 

"How is she?" Hei ventured to ask.

November dropped his head back down, shaking it and avoiding Hei's eye. 

"Not stellar. She was fortunately outside the building when the explosion went off. Her burns aren't too bad, but the doctors are concerned about her head."

Hei knew that he had always had a somewhat impulsive streak in him, quite at odds with his status as a Contractor. He knew it exasperated and astounded Huang and was a source of amusement and study to Mao. But like all impulsive acts, he didn't analyze it too much. He just did it because it felt right. 

"Jack."

He waited till November looked up to capture his lips in a soft kiss. He could feel the shock run through November's body and dissipate as the Brit relaxed and deepened the kiss. Hei remembered the way the other had kissed him after his ordeal in PANDORA and how that single kiss had grounded him when his world was spinning. It seemed the same was working for November. He felt November's hand come to rest on his thigh, the strong hand gently kneading the tight muscle under his skin. Hei felt the tug again and the desire to fall into the unknown. As November's thumb drew a circle pattern a little too close to his inner thigh Hei's breath hitched and the tug turned into a insistent pull. Placing a hand on November's chest, Hei softly ended the kiss and rose from the bench. November appeared dazed while also in happy disbelief as he looked up at Hei.

"I'll go get us some coffee."

November nodded then pulled Hei down by the shirt for one more chaste kiss. Gently pulling away from November's grip again, Hei smiled over his should as he walked down the hallway. 

* * *

Hei felt relieved to be able to take a moment to compose himself. Kissing November...did something to him, something that made him not want to stop, to just surrender to the feeling of only himself and November. It was a pull he'd never felt before. And it was going to pull him over the edge. He walked through several corridors trying to get his heart back to it's usual slow, steady rhythm. 

Stopping a nurse walking past him, he quickly asked where the coffee machine was. She gave him a kind, sad smile before pointing over at the far wall of what appeared to be another waiting room. Thanking her, he wandered over. There was already a person using the machine, a young woman dressed in a hospital gown. Hei eyed her carefully as her cup started overflowing, her gaze seemed to be focused on a point a million miles away and her mind even further.

"Ah, miss?"

There was no response and the coffee was now running down the sides of the cup, seeping into the grate.

"Miss?"

The woman still gave no indication she had heard Hei or noticed the overflowing cup. He reached out to tap her shoulder. As soon as his fingertips connected with her, she came plummeting back to reality with a start.

"What? Oh, oh no." 

Hei could clearly see the woman becoming distressed as she tried to turn the machine off. Tears were beginning to collect at the corners of her eyes. Hei moved forward towards the machine and placed a hand on it.

"It must be broken," Hei said with a light tone. He jumped back quickly, feigning shock as several sparks suddenly flew off the coffee machine. The machine emitted a strangled whirring noise and gave one last spurt of coffee before dying.

"Oh..."

"Are you hurt? Did it shock you?" 

"No, I'm fine." Hei now took a moment to really look at the girl in front of him. Her limbs that protruded from the baggy hospital gown were all wrapped tightly in white bandages. His eyes travelled up to her neck where he saw the edges of more bandages. She looked away, embarrassed, before he could meet her eye. 

"It's not as bad as it looks."

"...were you caught in the explosion?"

She nodded, still not meeting his eye.

Hei plucked the stained coffee cup from the deceased machine, carefully transferring its contents to a new cup.

"One of my friends was caught in it too."

Her attention snapped to him. "Are they ok?"

"I really hope she will be." Hei handed the coffee to the woman.

"Excuse me, are you Taisiya Kazan?"

Saitou took a double take when the young man who had had his back turned to him turned around.

"Shengshun? What are you doing here?" Saitou exclaimed. Hei didn't miss the suspicious edge to the large man's voice as he stared down at him.

"Oh, I'm just visiting with someone," Hei said, scratching the back of his head. So Section Four was lurking around the hospital...the likelihood of April being involved in an unlucky accident was becoming less and less. 

"Who?"

Hei was growing more uncomfortable by the second. It didn't appear that the Section Four member was going to drop the conversation. He scanned the room with his eyes, making it casual like he was trying to find a clock. He could see one of the other Section 4 members leaning up against a wall in a red jacket, watching their exchange with a relaxed but focused expression.

"A friend. I'm really sorry but I should go otherwise they will start wondering what happened to me." Hei gave Saitou a small, hesitant smile before quickly walking away feeling Saitou's eyes boring into his back.

* * *

Kouno carefully watched Shengshun as the dark-haired man disappeared down the hall. There was something nagging at the back of his mind about the guy. He had originally thought that Li was just a strange foreign student but now he wasn't so sure. The Chief had told them to get to the hospital ASAP and start identifying victims of the explosion. She'd also made him very aware that she wanted an update on the burnt man as soon as possible. Which is what he was waiting for now. Kouno watched Saitou lead the young woman to a quieter part of the room. He peered down the hallway again trying to see where Li had gone. Instead, he found Kirihara and Matsumoto walking towards him.

"Chief."

"What have you got so far, Kouno?"

"Saitou's speaking to a witness now and I'm waiting on an update on your burnt guy," Kouno thought he saw the Chief blanch slightly at his words. Kouno paused then decided he was going to broach the question that had continuously been nagging at him. "Chief...that Li guy is at the hospital...he seems to turn up everywhere. Don't you find it strange?"

Misaki didn't answer for a moment and when she did her answer confused Kouno even more. 

"He would be with November 11."

"What, why?"

"They're together."

And that had got to be the most shocking moment of the entirety of Kouno's career. Forget Contractors, forget Dolls, forget Hell's Gate. November 11 and that weirdo exchange student together was the most absurd concept that had ever graced his mind. He would sooner believe Li to be a Chinese spy than believe his involvement with the MI6 Contractor. 

"You're kidding me."

Misaki didn't say anything. 

"Come on Chief, he's a Contractor."

"So, does that mean he's incapable of having a relationship?" Misaki was shocked by how her words came out, harsh and almost cold. Kouno looked taken aback. Luckily, Matsumoto took the awkward moment that followed as an opportunity to change the topic. Misaki seemed thankful for the diversion. 

"So who is the man you saw in the ambulance?"

"We don't know yet but I think he's a direct witness."

"So this isn't a gas leak like the reporters are saying," Kouno stated. "This is a Section Four job."

Misaki's brow furrowed, "It could be...Astronomics called me this morning. They have a new entrant."

"A new Contractor's been born?" Matsumoto asked under his breath, making sure he wasn't overheard. 

"Kanami doesn't know yet but she thinks this star passed within GO's range a few weeks ago."

"There's more to this, isn't there, Chief," Kouno said, he could tell by the creases on his Chief's forehead that she was thinking overtime. 

"Kanami said the star might not be normal."

They all fell quiet, letting the sentence sink in. None of them knew what this new star could possibly be, but they could all agree on one thing - it was doubtful it would be good.

"You mentioned the man with the burns could be a direct witness," Mastumoto broke the silence, "what makes you say that?"

"He was screaming about a monster."

"What did he say?"

Misaki knew the answer, like it was burnt into her brain just as much as the feel of those hot, thin fingers on her arm. 

"Blackbird."

Surprise came over Matsumoto's face which was easily caught by both his colleagues.

"You know something about this, Kunio?" Kouno asked, curious. 

"Hmm...it's a myth that spawned from the Chernobyl disaster. Worker's reported seeing an apparition in the days leading up to the disaster. A dark being with glowing red eyes."

"Sounds like a Contractor."

Matsumoto nodded. "Except the Chernobyl disaster happened decades before the appearance of the Gates."

"The general public don't know about the existence of Contractors," Misaki said. "It's likely that the only explanation he could find for what he saw was the creature of an old myth."

Konou and Matsumoto both nodded silently in agreement. 

"But...if there are more people that saw this we might have media nightmare on our hands," Misaki said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If people start putting two an two together..."

The door next to Konou clicked open and a short nurse popped her head out.

"Officer Kouno? You wanted an update on the male in bed 10, yes?"

"How is he?"

"I'm sorry but he's passed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are welcome and appreciated ♥


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok...so as I said in the last notes, I decided to split the last chapter into two parts. 
> 
> I should have said three parts.
> 
> So you know what that means, Chapter 20 contains mature content...my first attempt at some mature content.
> 
> Now, we aren't travelling to dungeons of a Mardi Gras afterparty - we're gently dipping our toes in the water so you can have the opportunity to scream; NO LEASHED! IT'S TOO COLD, NOT HOT AT ALL. NOT HOT!!!
> 
> Anyway, I wish you (hopefully) Happy Reading ♥♥♥

"What are you talking about?" Decade breathed out. 

Dark eyes considered him for a moment and Decade feared that they decided that he was no longer useful. He let out a little breath when the threat across from him smiled with false good nature. 

"Decade, Decade, how long have we known each other? You know I'm just here to fix your problems."

"You've caused a dam sight more of them recently," Decade bit out. He regretted it instantly when the eyes he looked into were as cold as the knife that suddenly bit into his throat.

"Have you gone mad?" Decade chocked out. 

"I'm really not all that interested in what you think, Decade." The blade pressed in a little more. "I'm going to fix what you screwed up five years ago when you trusted that Contractor to fight your war."

The blade was now pressed so close that Decade didn't trust himself to be able to speak without it slicing into him. He looked up into the cold dark eyes. 

"I'm going to open Heaven's Gate."

* * *

November felt both elated and relieved as he watched Li walking away. In all honesty, he had been worried about how the other felt about him. In all the time that he had known Li, he almost felt that the student was just going through the motions, not particularly invested in their relationship but content enough to stay for the time being. Almost like a cat who was content to drink the milk he put out, but reserved the right to leave without so much as a goodbye or thank-you. It didn't help that November still couldn't get a read on the Chinese man. He knew now that Li wore a carefully constructed mask each day, one he presented to Misaki, his acquaintances, and even November himself. However, to Li's disadvantage, November knew the subtle signs of such a façade, like how his pleasant smile never reached his eyes or the slight shock that flickered across his face when November hit on things a little too close to home. And then there was the time when he had seen the other with the mask completely off, when he had seen him at the station after the student's trip to PANDORA. That instance was one November did not wish to see again and would be doing everything in his power to make sure that particular brokenness never graced Li's handsome face again. 

He still felt as if Li was holding back for some reason though, almost like a hesitation to get too close to November. But still, November took small victory in the fact that, this time, Li had initiated the intimacy and he wasn't blind drunk. Although...some good had come from the student's intoxication.

_'I think I would like that...to come with you to the UK.'_

It appeared that Li was actually fonder of him than he let on. He truly hoped April would make up soon - so he could gloat to her, of course. 

"November."

November was torn from his thoughts by the voice of his superior. 

"Decade," November said, standing to meet the older man.

"How is she?"

November sighed. "It's not promising, but it's still early days and April is a stubborn one."

Decade nodded quietly, glancing around the waiting room.

"Let's go somewhere a bit more private. There's been a change of plans."

* * *

Decade looked down at the passing cars from the rooftop of the hospital. If only those people knew the danger that was at their doorstep. He'd been so certain that February's fledgling group had been behind the attack on the facility in Belarus. There were several observatories controlled by the Syndicate whose sole purpose were to keep their telescopes trained on UB-001. Sometimes, February's star would flicker and vanish only to reappear in an entirely different location. And that only meant one thing - UB-001 was active again, and increasingly so. And that was why he hold told November as much the other day, he knew that the MI6 agent still held a vendetta against his former team member and would go to any lengths to hunt her down, especially when he knew the extent of the information February had stolen. 

However, there was some misleading information he'd told November. While the information he had given November about the files February had stolen was true it was also redundant. Decade knew now that February had defected to the Syndicate in order to get close to Bai. To use Bai's powers to make Heaven's Gate inaccessible so the Syndicate could not destroy it. The reason he had told November this was to make his feelings of unfinished business even stronger. He knew from experience with the MI6 agent that, combined with his feelings of betrayal, if November thought he could turn the Contractor February stole to his side it would be an even sweeter victory over his former colleague. November did always pay his debts in full.

And while Decade did have information that a Contractor with powers at an atomic level was indeed involved in the Belarus incident, he had been very, very wrong as to their suspected identity. His sources indicated that February had enlisted several Contractors within her little Evening Primrose club. One being identified as a young boy named Maki who was reported to be able to create explosions. Decade had no doubts that his agents would be able to handle the child, as long as February didn't interfere of course. But now he knew this wasn't his suspect.

"Have you made any progress on BK-201?"

November grimaced. He hadn't, but it was because BK-201 had barely flickered since the incident with Havoc, not because November had been somewhat distracted by a certain dark-haired beauty.

"It seems I may have scared Mr. BK-201 off, perhaps I should send him some flowers as an apology?"

Usually, that would gain a chuckle from Decade. But not today.

"I need you to put a hold on BK-201. You have a new priority."

Reaching into his breast pocket, Decade withdrew a thin file, passing it over to November. November took it, raising an eyebrow at his superior. 

"Let me guess, is this the Contractor responsible for landing dear April in the hospital?"

"He's not a Contractor."

November's other eyebrow raised to meet it's partner. Decade's usually monotone voice held a certain strain to it. It would be imperceptible to most, but after years of working with the man November knew it meant he was stressed. Decade motioned for November to open the file. On the first page was an image of a man. He was plain, none of his features particular prominent, the sort of person you would walk past on the street and never take a second glance. But there was a strangeness to his eyes. November shivered slightly, they resembled Li's in a way, not due to their color but because they seemed almost dead. As if any light that entered them was being sucked into a blackhole, unable to escape. 

"He's an assassin who has worked closely with several intelligence agencies and private companies," Decade continued. "He goes by the name of Zero."

November flicked to the next page, his eyes scanning over the information. It was a long list of dates, years, names and locations. He saw it was a list of Zero's activities. Flipping over to the next page he realized the entries abruptly stopped almost ten years ago. 

November looked up at Decade. "There's nothing recorded past 1998."

"We believe he has been working exclusively with the Syndicate since then."

A humorless smile spread over November's face. "Let me guess, now February's involved with him. And she's using him to target the agencies he's worked with before."

Decade was silent. November was smart, he could piece information together quickly and easily. But this time he was wrong...rather, this time _Decade_ had been wrong.

"He's not working with February."

November appraised Decade carefully. The way the man stood stiffer than usual, they way he didn't quiet maintain eye contact with him. 

"You know something, don't you."

Decade took a breath and started telling November about the greatest mistake he'd ever made. 

* * *

November strode back down the corridor towards the waiting room. He still didn't quite know what to make of what Decade had told him. It seemed almost surreal to him and he wished that April would wake up so he could talk it through with her. The two of them always worked best when they put both their heads together, April never shied away from telling him when his ideas were plain stupid or ridiculous. And, truth be told, he felt slightly uneasy about his new assignment. The unease only grew when Decade forbade him from any action without first liaising with Section Four. He decided he would wait until Chief Kirihara contacted him as he was sure it would take time for the information to make its way through her chain of command. 

As he rounded the corner he saw Li sitting back down on the bench. He looked up as November approached him. 

"The coffee machine was broken, sorry," Hei said apologetically.

"I'm sure it would have been ghastly anyway," November said with a smile. He decided that he had some time to spare before any action would be taken and he wanted to spend it in Li's company. "Come, the Hotel I'm staying with has the most excellent barista."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love to know what you think ♥
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT (and some character development) ♥


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS POSSIBILY POORLY WRITTEN SEXUAL CONTENT - YOU HAVE BEEN FOREWARNED!!!♥♥♥!!!

As good as his coffee had been, Hei regretted not asking for an extra shot. November and he had found their way up to the MI6 agent's suite shortly after the Brit had tipped the waiter. Hei flopped down onto the large couch, letting himself sink back into the soft pillows. His head was starting to throb again, likely still protesting his binge drinking and lack of sleep from the night before. Tilting his head back, he watched over the edge of the couch as November lead July to his room. A few crayons were clasped in the Doll's hand, which Hei assumed had been liberated from the hospital. 

The couch dipped slightly and Hei realized he must have dozed off ever so briefly. November smiled at him, passing him a bottle of water. Hei opened his taking a sip while November did the same.

"I do really appreciate you coming to the hospital with me this morning, Li." November broke the silence. 

Hei felt at a loss. He'd never been one who was comfortable offering words of comfort, they always felt unnatural or too much like promises that couldn't be kept. But he knew November was worried about April, it had been obvious in the way the MI6 agent tried to conceal it at the hospital. But still, Hei knew there was nothing he could say to lessen the other's fears, November was a Contractor after all and every variation Hei could think of of 'she'll be ok' would be completely illogical to the Brit. Instead, he tried a different approach. 

Shifting slightly, Hei moved to lightly press his side against November's, letting his hand find the other's and interlacing their fingers. He'd done the same with Xing when ever she was sad. He'd continued to do it after she became a Contractor too - even if it was just to remind himself that his sister was still with him. 

November looked down at their interlaced fingers. Honestly, he was shocked by the sudden intimacy Li was showing towards him. But, he knew the dark-haired man was full of surprises. It was one of the reasons he felt so drawn to the younger man. Just when he thought he was beginning to have the student figured out, the other would do something that surprised him and threw him off course. It was intoxicating. 

November gently turned Li's hand over in his, his thumb gently tracing over scar on Li's palm. How long had he know Li for now? It felt like forever and never. 

"Li."

Midnight blue eyes fixed on him and November felt a slight shudder run through his body. Leaning in, he placed a light kiss on Li's mouth. 

To November's delight, he felt Li begin to respond to the kiss. Gently teasing Li's lips with his tongue, he continued to draw circles in the other's palm, trying to coax the student into a deeper kiss. A quick nip was all it took for Li to fully allow November entrance. Taking advantage of the slight gasp he'd elicited, November pushed the dark-haired man into the couch, and soon the two were joined in a feverish kiss. 

Kissing Li was electrifying. It was raw, urgent and powerful. November broke the kiss, allowing both of them time to catch their breath. Li had turned his head to the side, panting beneath him as he tried to slow his breathing. November swallowed at the sight of him stretched out before him, dark hair slightly damp with sweat fanning out over the couch and slightly curling over a high cheekbone. He stroked it out of the way.

"Li."

The midnight eyes fixed on him again, almost owlish, and November's breath hitched slightly at the sight of Li's reddened lips. He knew what he wanted to do, and he needed Li to want it too.

"I need to know that you're ok with this."

Something akin to uncertainty flickered through Li's eyes before disappearing into a completely unreadable expression. November felt a throb deep inside him, God he wanted to continue. He was answered by Li wrapping his hand around his tie, pulling him down into a slow, hesitant kiss. He allowed Li to lead, letting Li's tongue roll over his, while he gently moved his knee in between the other's thighs. Feeling Li stiffen slightly at the action, he stroked a hand down his side, moving his mouth to Li's neck and slowly sucking where the slender neck met the shoulder. 

Hei let out a shaky breath. He couldn't stop now and he didn't want to. The pull he'd felt at the hospital had been magnified tenfold and the only thing his mind could focus on was the rough friction of November's hand sliding under his shirt, slowly caressing just above his hipbone. He knew what November wanted but, God, he was willing to give it to him. An involuntary whimper escaped him as the hand moved higher, tracing around his nipple, and his back arched off the couch when November's thumb and finger caught it in a hard pinch. His hands clawed at November's back, and the Brit relented, placing soft kisses along his jaw and neck. Dipping his head down, November placed a chaste kiss to his mouth before pulling away. 

As November leaned back, shrugging off his jacket and undoing his tie, it struck Hei like a freight train just _who_ it was that had him splayed out, panting and shivering. The knowledge had his blood pooling and coiling somewhere at the base of his abdomen. This was November 11, the MI6 Contractor who _had_ caught him, had outwitted him, and he would likely be at November's mercy in another way had it not been for Huang. It made him dizzy him excitement.

He leaned into the contact as November cupped his cheek, placing a kiss to his forehead. It caught Hei off-guard, the sheer affection Hei saw in the light blue eyes as November leaned back to look at him once more. How could someone so cold be so...warm. The confusion November caused him would be his death. He could feel the hardness growing between his legs as November leaned forwards to undo the buttons of his crumpled white shirt. Hei saw confusion slowly come over the Brit's face as the shirt fell open revealing his bare chest. 

Reaching out, November traced a long scar running across the student's soft skin, his brows knitting together. The edges were messy, as if it had never received proper medical attention. What had happened? 

Hei froze as the confusion turned to sadness on November's face. And he realized what November was looking at. Don't ask, he thought. Please don't ask. He pushed a hand up against the strong chest before him, he couldn't do this. He was kidding himself that he could have Li's life, even if just for a moment. 

When November looked up he was taken a back by the fear and pain that suddenly burned in midnight eyes. Smiling softly, he collected the hands that pushed at his chest in his own and gently placed them above Li's head. Giving the wrists a squeeze, he released them, returning to exploring the lithe body beneath him. Placing a kiss to Li's chin, he trailed them down over each collarbone, his sternum, his stomach, making sure to slowly pause as he kissed the scar. He felt Li's breath hitch and stop for a moment as he did so.

There was pressure growing against the fabric of his own pants as he went lower, placing a kiss where smooth skin disappeared underneath Li's jeans. 

"Jack..." Hei breathed, shakily. 

The voice, needy and almost desperate, shot through November's core. He needed this person, needed him like the way he needed cigarettes to fulfill his Contract. It was an all encompassing urge, an urge that could not go unfulfilled. He couldn't wait any longer, he wanted to see Li undone, see another side of Li unbridled and honest. And he was going to be the one to tip him over the edge. 

Hei's thoughts were steadily becoming incoherent as the pressure grew in his pants to the point it was painful. The feel of November's fingers dipping under the waistband of his jeans, between the skin and fabric, was agonizingly close his length. He didn't care in that moment if the Contractor was just using him to fulfill his own needs, he needed him - now.

"Jack, please..."

November looked up at the withering mess he'd reduced Li too. The midnight eyes were heavy with arousal and his hands were twisted in the comforter that had been draped over the arm of the couch. He leaned over Li, briefly giving the younger one more reassuring kiss, then returned his attention to Li's erection.

Hei felt the button of his jeans being undone and the zipper drawn steadily down. The relief was instant as the pressure was finally removed only to been replaced with a different kind. He clenched the comforter in his hands in a death grip as November took him into his mouth. It had been so long and Hei felt like his nerves were on fire. He groaned, pushing his head back into the couch, trying desperately to keep his hips still. November took him deeper and it was steadily becoming all too much. Hei knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Jack, I can't-"

But as November's tongue dipped into his slit he felt the blood that had been pooling in his abdomen reach boiling point and, suddenly, his orgasm was crashing over him. He could feel the dull pressure of strong hands on his hips steadying him as he lost himself in waves of pleasure. As the sensation died down to a gentle rippling, Hei felt November tenderly place a kiss under his hipbone. The next thing he felt was November carefully tucking him away, zipping his jeans back up. His eyes flew open. 

Was that it?

He begun to shake again, this time not from pleasure but from steadily bubbling anger. He watched from the corner of his eye as November reached out to grab a water bottle. Hei could see the slight straining at November's crutch. Why wasn't he doing anything about it?

His anger was stirred out of control by confusion. He didn't understand, couldn't understand. November was a Contractor, and while Hei had thought him to be different on occasion, better than most humans on occasion, he couldn't deny that November, at his core, was a selfish being by nature. So why would he fulfill Hei's needs and not his own? Why would November be the first person to consider Hei before themselves? 

"Here-"

The last thing November expected was to see the burning hate glowing in Li's eyes as he slapped the water bottle from his hand.

"You're meant to be selfish," Hei growled.

"Li-"

There was no time for November to react as Hei's fist came flying to meet his eye. Damn, he's fast, he thought. And it hurt, he was strong.

November decided he really didn't want to see what else the Chinese man was capable of when he himself was the target. But he was going to find out what this was about.

Grabbing Hei's wrist before his hand could retreat, November pinned it beside Hei's hip. There was a brief struggle as he sought to gain the other wrist. It was quickly won as November used his position to his advantage, dragging the smaller man under him on the couch and successfully trapping him with his body weight. The skin around his eye felt like it was beginning to swell as he looked down into dark eyes with their thinly veiled loathing. 

"Tell me, Li. Tell me why I'm meant to be selfish."

Hei didn't speak as November pressed him into the couch. He knew he could easily throw November off him and yet he didn't.

November's lip quirked as as he stared down at Hei, guessing at his thoughts.

"Isn't it selfish of me to want to be the only one who sees you like this?" November let his eyes trail along Hei's taut stomach.

"Isn't it selfish of me to want to be the only one to do this to you?" November punctuated the sentence by pushing his knee into Hei's groin. He could feel the hardness returning. 

"Isn't it selfish of me to want _you_ to be the only one to do this to me?" November guided Hei's hand to feel his own hardness. 

"Is it selfish for me to care about you?" 

Hei felt his eyes sting slightly as November released him, gently pulling them both into a sitting position. Leaning Hei against him, he intertwined their fingers. 

"I'm not here to use you, Li."

And with that Hei felt his balance on the tightrope he walked between two worlds falter and he fell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you feel that Li/Hei and November remained in character and their actions too. I just couldn't imagine their first time going smoothly, at least not without a bit of emotional turmoil on Hei's part. 
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think.
> 
> I'm going to the corner to die for a bit XD
> 
> A/N 1st March 2021 - Hi all, so sorry for not posting recently, things gave been really hectic :( I'm going to start working on the next chapter this weekend :D Please subscribe!


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